Becoming Inuzuka
by The Rabid Bunny
Summary: Sequel to 'Forced Hand'. It's been two years since Sakura and Kiba married. When Sakura begins to change, what's in store for the Alphas of the Inuzuka Clan?
1. A New Day

**A/N: Okay, so leave it to me to start my new fic on a Monday. God, do Monday's suck. I really hope you like the first chapter. It's kind of light and fun, but I think it's full of promise. Oh, and I intend to go in a whole new direction here, so bear with me. **

**This fic is the sequel to 'Forced Hand', so I would recommend reading that first. Also, read 'Blood Bond'.**

**Please review. I like to know if my readers actually like what I'm writing. So thanks for reading my latest attempt to fend off boredom.**

**None of the Naruto characters belong to me. And, yes I would still sell Sasuke on ebay, if he were mine.**

Becoming Inuzuka

A New Day

Sakura rolled to the other side of the bed. It was morning, and she really needed to get up. But their bed was just way too comfortable, even if he had left early that morning. Without waking her to say goodbye. Of course, she would have let him sleep, too, if it were she leaving at the crack of dawn for a mission. That was kind of their unspoken agreement. They always said their goodbyes the night before one of them left.

The woman sighed as she snuggled even closer to Kiba's side of the bed. It smelled wonderful, his scent drenched the pillow, and it made her long for him even more. She really hated when he had to leave for so long. But, she had to deal with it; such was the life of an elite shinobi. Between his missions and leading the clan, her husband had little time to spare, but he always found time for her. He always showed her how much he loved her.

_And did he ever show his love last night. My whole body hurts_. Sakura's inner voice announced happily.

The woman groaned and pulled her pillow over her face. Which had turned bright pink at the memories of their extremely...noisy? goodbye. They had even managed to earn a knock on the wall from his sister who used the adjacent room whenever she deigned to stay at the compound. That was sure to be an embarrassing encounter when she had to face Hana this morning.

Once again, Sakura sighed. She had to get out of bed. End of story. If Kiba were here, he would already be up and attending to his duties. And she couldn't shirk hers even if it meant sleeping in for just one day. Even two years after their marriage, the two still had a lot to prove.

Kiba had delved himself whole-heartedly in his responsibilities, working with the clan's council for the good of all Inuzukas. Plus, he was still an active member of his shinobi team, which meant that he was often out on missions. It had been Sakura's duty to step in as the female of the Alpha pair in an attempt to keep things running smoothly. One of the first things that the woman had realized was that, at any time, both could be called away on missions, so she had volunteered to bump her status down to part-time. This meant that she was still on active duty as a shinobi, but she would only be called to a mission when absolutely necessary. Her husband had not liked the idea, because he knew how much being a kunoichi meant to his wife, but she had countered his argument by stating that she wanted to focus her energy on becoming the primary medic for their clan. This elicited many nods of approval from the council, and Kiba'd had no choice but to relent.

Thus, the girl found herself sighing in the comfort of her bed, not wanting to get up. Whoever invented Mondays was surely related to the devil. Of all the days of the week, her Mondays were the worst. She would start out the day with a short shift at the hospital, then she would visit Hana at the veterinary clinic. Both women had felt that, since Inuzukas were so dog-like by nature, Sakura should learn the basics of veterinary medicine so that she could work with any Inuzuka and his or her companion. More nods of approval from the council.

Then, after a few hours with her sister-in-law, the girl would preside over the weekly council meeting. This was the worst part of her day. She really did want to know about clan politics...really. But, it was just _so boring. _It was days like this that she truly appreciated her husband, well, that, and nights like last night.

Her face tinted the same shade as her hair as she fought back memories of the previous evening. She had caught the scent of her own musk, and knew that she needed to calm down else the other members of the house would give her weird looks when she went down for breakfast. So, she finally pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the shower.

A few minutes later the pink-haired med-nin was wiping the condensation from the bathroom mirror while humming tunelessly. Even if it was Monday, she sure wasn't going to start the day off complaining. Best to face the day as cheerfully as possible. As she made another pass across the mirrored surface, the woman noticed the jagged claws on her hand.

Guess it was time to trim her nails and file them down. The woman sighed heavily. Seems that she did that a lot in the mornings, when faced with joining the living. Oh, yeah, must remember to be happy about Mondays. Sakura shook herself from these thoughts as she rummaged in the medicine cabinet for her manicure tools.

Not that she really cared about frivolous things like manicures, but it had become necessary to own a kit. Especially since her wedding night, when she and Kiba had performed the Bonding ritual for their clan. They had already marked one another as mates, but it was necessary to do so in front of the council of elders, so that their claim would be legitimate. And, since the Blood Ritual also included chakra-infusion, the two had passed traits on to one another.

After Kiba had initially marked her as his mate, she had acquired his sense of smell and some of the Inuzuka's animal-like agility. Upon marking him, she shared some of her own chakra control.

When they renewed their marks, the two had gained even more of each other's characteristics. Kiba had taken on some of her Genjutsu-detection, while she took on some of his physical traits. Thus, the elongated finger nails and fangs. After the girl had woken up with small cuts all over her body from self-inflicted scratches, she had wanted to file her nails down, but Kiba told her that their kin may take that as an insult. She would have to learn to live with the claws. Not that they were really very practical to a medic who needed to be able to touch a patient without ripping them to shreds. So, she had conceded to keeping them only if she could blunt the tips just a little.

Now, the girl found herself sitting on the edge of the bathtub hastily filing her claws to where they would not inflict undo damage to the people she would have to touch today. Another heart-felt sigh.

After finally getting the talons that made up the ends of her fingers to a remotely manageable length, the girl dressed herself. Then she headed down to the kitchen to begin her day.

"Oh look who it is," sang Hana's voice as Sakura entered the kitchen. "I really didn't expect to see you so early this morning. It sounded like my brother went full canine on you last night." Her dark eyes sparkled merrily. The younger woman could only blush as she tried not to make eye contact with Kiba's sister.

"Hana-chan, leave Sakura-chan alone. How do you think I conceived you?" Tsume's voice rang out. Sakura nearly flinched at the woman's use of endearment toward her. They had started their relationship off rather precariously, but the woman had seemed to have taken a liking to her daughter-in-law very recently.

"Mom, that's gross."

"Well, I think they have a healthy love life." Sakura's face burned red at the older woman's blatant nonchalance toward her sex life. "It only means that I'll have grandchildren very soon. Since I can't rely on you for that, huh, Hana?" She shot a glare at her daughter. Sakura fidgeted uncomfortably, finally knowing part of the older woman's acceptance. She wanted grandkids.

Tsume glared at her own daughter for another moment, then she turned her gaze to the bright red face that was topped off with vibrant pink hair. She could barely hold in a laugh at the girl's expense. Though she had been hard on the kids at first, she had come to realize that both Kiba and Sakura were very capable, and that they did, in fact, want what was best for those around them. Kiba had thrown himself into his work, and Sakura had joined him to the best of her abilities. Plus, the dark-haired woman had realized that the two had enough people working against them without her adding more turmoil. That, and she really was ready to be a grandma. And Hana wasn't even about to help out there. Time to start buttering up with Sakura.

"Well, ladies, why don't we enjoy our breakfast before it gets cold," Tsume spoke while hustling both young women into chairs that surrounded a table laden with breakfast foods.

"Tsume, you didn't have to go to all of this trouble..." began the young woman with pale hair.

"Oh, it's no trouble. I am no longer the leader of a clan, so now I can focus on performing domestic activities. Well, when I'm not away on missions, of course."

"Yeah, but you're letting Kuromaru get fat," reprimanded Hana.

They heard a low growl from under the kitchen table.

"I am not fat, pup. I am nothing but lean muscle," came Kuromaru's deep voice.

Sakura giggled while Hana sighed when Tsume dropped several pieces of bacon on the floor for her companion.

"I swear, you're going to give that mutt a heart attack," Hana grumbled at her mother.

Another, more menacing growl stopped her short before she could finish chastising her mother, and Sakura could no longer hold in her laughter at the conversation. The others looked at her, confused, but she waved them off. Apparently only she understood the irony of complaining to the former head of the Inuzuka clan about how she cared for her companion. Thinking on it some more, she saw that maybe it wasn't so funny after all. But the look on Hana's face at being growled at by Kuromaru sure was, and Sakura giggled again.

After her humorous breakfast with her in-laws, Sakura headed toward Konoha's hospital. She closed the front door behind her, and walked away from the home that she shared with Kiba, Tsume, Hana, and their canine-companions. It still struck the medic as weird to share a home with her mother- and sister-in-law, but that was just how the Inuzuka clan did things.

The day that they had told Tsume about their Bond, the woman had invited them to eat breakfast with her. It was then that she stated that it was expected for Sakura to move in immediately. The young lady had blanched viciously, and repeatedly refused. She was not comfortable with throwing the family into chaos so easily. Understanding that both women would not agree on when Sakura should move in, Kiba had come up with a compromise. So, their wedding night was her first night in her new home.

She had been put out by their taking over of the master bedroom; she would have been content with a small spare room, but Tsume would not have it. She had claimed that as the Alphas of the clan, they had inherited the clan leader's home, and all that it held. Thus, she had had her things moved to a spare room at the back of the house, so that the newly weds could enjoy _their_ new room on _their_ first night in _their_ house.

The pink-haired woman did have to admit that she loved the room, and the bed was absolutely divine. But she felt bad that Tsume had given up so much just for her. The woman had only waved this off as her duty to both her clan and her family, and that ended the conversation.

With a fleeting thought as to how soft her bed was, and how much she wanted to go back up to it, Sakura headed toward her destination.


	2. Oddity

**A/N: I just want to say thanks to all of my reviewers as well as those who have put this and me on alert. The response to my musings is wondrous. So, here is the next chapter. I really hope you all like the direction that I'm going in. Luvs.**

**Alas, no owning of the Naruto.**

Becoming Inuzuka

Oddity

_So, maybe Mondays aren't so bad, after all, _thought Sakura as she left the hospital to wander toward the Inuzuka compound. Her shift had actually gone pretty well. She hadn't lost her temper with a single patient, nor had anyone lodged a complaint with the Godaime concerning her behavior. There hadn't even been any major emergencies to cause her stress levels to sky-rocket.

_Again with the lies. You know that Mondays suck, and Tuesdays aren't far behind in their suckness,_ came Inner Sakura's grumble. The inner personality pouted with her back turned.

_Well, we'll just have to see. We do still have our shift at the clinic, as well as the clan meeting...Now that just may ruin the day._

The second-best medic in Konoha tossed her long pink tresses over her shoulder in an effort to contain her anxiety toward the day. There really was no point in dwelling on what _might_ happen, when she would get to that soon anyways. So, she entered the veterinary clinic with a flourish and a smile and proceeded to scare the shit out of everyone in the room. What was with her attitude, today? The girl was always reserved and shy when it came to dealing with the animals, so why was she so happy today?

Hana had just finished wondering about her sister-in-law and contemplated asking about her health, when the younger woman approached her desk. Another bright smile.

"Good afternoon, Hana-san, what are we doing today?" Sakura chirped.

"Ummm...Sakura-san, what's up with you today?"

The recently-dubbed-Inuzuka paled slightly at being found out.

"I'm trying to like Mondays," she whispered to the other woman. A yipping laugh was followed by another question.

"Why would you want to like Mondays; they're made to suck. And, Tuesdays aren't too great, either."

_See, I told you. You know, I really like her, _cheered Inner Sakura. The woman glared at herself before turning back to the question at hand.

"So, what are we doing, today?" She asked sweetly, eager to get the rest of her duties over with.

"Well," Hana tapped her chin with a pen thoughtfully, "I don't have much for you today, but...Oh, yeah. I do have a patient that you may be able to help. He's human, Inuzuka, but he came here for his...problem. I would like for you to examine him." She handed the other kunoichi a medical chart, and nearly laughed at the girl's expression.

"Who's with him?" At Hana's nod, Sakura knew exactly who. That bitch just didn't know when to stop, and Sakura was sure that having a sick nephew wasn't going to slow her down one little bit.

"Well, guess I'd better get this over with." She gathered her tools and walked toward the examination rooms. A long sigh, and she forced a smile while entering the room.

"SAKURA-SAN," came a high-pitched squeal. She was almost bowled over by the hyperactive six year-old that had flown at her as she entered the room. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Kyou-chan," Sakura teased, ruffling the child's orange hair. Red eyes flashed, and the woman was reminded how much he resembled a cat more than a dog. She often wondered how an Inuzuka had been born with so many feline traits, but he did have the triangular clan markings. She ruffled his hair once more for measure before boosting the child onto the examination table.

"Good afternoon, Sakura-sama," came a nasally voice that was cool and venomous.

"Hello, Ami-san," was the medic's greeting. Then she focused her attention on the boy in front of her. "What seems to be the problem, Kyou-chan?" But before the boy could answer, his aunt was speaking in that nasal drone of hers. The coolness was still there.

"He can't stop scratching. And he has begun to get red welts all over his skin. The boy is obviously allergic to something." Thin arms crossed over a flat chest as the extremely thin woman took on the air of finality that came with knowing that she had proclaimed the correct diagnoses. Sakura rolled her eyes as she began to examine the boy closely.

Inuzuka Ami was a serious source of irritation for both Kiba and Sakura. Her father was Inuzuka Kumo of the council of elders, and both had been blatant in their disdain toward The Heir's choice of mate. Kumo had even gone so far as to argue how much more suitable a wife his own daughter was on the day that the heir and his chosen had performed the Bonding Ceremony. And, to make matters worse, Ami hadn't taken the hint that the man just wasn't interested. Whenever she saw him, with or without his wife, she would make it a point to flirt with him unceremoniously. And she always mentioned their clan markings in some way or another, just to drive the point home that his wife was not a born member of the clan. It always took serious control on Sakura's part to keep from clobbering the skinny little bitch, but she knew that she had to rein herself in. For both her and her husband's sakes, as well as the council. If a fight broke out, they would cease to support the Alphas, then would come upheaval, and no one wanted that. So, Sakura waited for times like today to strike at the woman. A smug little grin curled her lips.

"Ami-san, it seems that Kyou-chan has fleas." Her snicker was barely kept in check, and she had to cover it up with a clearing of her throat. She looked to the other woman who had gone white with anger.

"He...WHAT?" Coal black eyes flashed with anger and shame. An Inuzuka with fleas was akin to any other human child with head lice. What would people think of them?

"Oh, don't worry. The clinic has some very good treatments." Her emerald eyes were merry just like her smile. "And his companion as well as the home will have to be treated too. I would also suggest that anyone and their canines who live in the home be checked ."

The woman spluttered and fumed. Another smug grin found Sakura's lips as she handed Kyou a sucker then swept out of the room.

By the time she found the reception desk where Hana was working, she was about to burst with excitement at finally getting to put that woman in her place. Hana noticed the grin and her smirk grew to match.

"It was fleas wasn't it?" At the nod of the pink head, the brunette giggled. "I thought you'd like that, that's why I made her wait. I told her it was best to see a medic that knew human ailments, as opposed to a vet." By this time, Kiba's sister was laughing so hard that she fell from her chair.

After several minutes of mirthful hysteria, Sakura finally composed herself, then asked, "So what else do you have for me?"

A glint passed through Hana's dark eyes.

"I thought you could join me in a visit to the kennels." Pink hair suddenly flew as the girl bounced up and down giddily.

"Do you really mean it? I can see the puppies." She just couldn't help it, she loved puppies, which was another reason why she liked being a part of the Inuzuka clan. She got to play with pups almost every day. And now, she was going to see the place where they were raised and groomed before they were bonded with a life-companion.

* * *

"So this is where Akamaru chose Kiba to be his companion?" The female of the Alpha pair wandered through the area that housed the clan's kennels. It was a large open space with rows of low wooden structures. These buildings were almost like miniature homes for the pups who lived much of their young lives with their litter-mates. As the dogs grew big enough to begin their training, they were moved into single 'rooms' in which they usually only slept. Much the older pups' days were spent in groups learning simple 'tricks', how to talk, or ways to use their chakra.

The two women meandered their way through the many pin-like structures that acted as teaching areas for the young dogs. Hana had a clip board in hand as she inspected the grounds. She had told Sakura that it was her duty to check the health and well-being of the animals as they stayed in the kennels, and that she would be presenting her findings at the council meeting that day. That was why she had invited Sakura along. This was a good learning experience for the young mistress, as well as allowing Sakura to add validity via her own testimony. Ah, that did make sense, so the woman had agreed to come along.

After wandering around looking at, and playing with, the pups, and talking with several of the instructors, Sakura as caught off-guard by the most wonderful sight. Loping around as if she owned the place was the prettiest female wolf-hound that the girl had ever seen. This pup had sleek dark grey fur, but it wasn't a dingy gray like Kuromaru's. It shone like the moon. And her eyes were a vibrant violet color. The woman's breath caught at the sight of the beast, and Hana followed her gaze to see what had enthralled her so.

"That's Kanna. She's really feisty."

"Oh," Sakura blinked as if not sure of what she was seeing, "she's beautiful. But, she looks to be about Akamaru's age; why is she still here?"

Hana snorted dryly. "That bitch refuses to choose a companion. Sometimes, it takes a pup a little longer than others to find the right person, but I think she likes it here too much. The older she gets, the more they leave her alone, so she'll probably never choose a master."

The lovely animal sidled her way up to the two women and approached Hana sniffing wildly. It was as if she were searching for something. After seeming to find that the dark-haired woman didn't have what she wanted, the dog turned to Sakura. Nostrils flared, and the woman felt compelled to offer her hand for the creature to smell. It really did look like she was searching for some long-lost item, and Sakura was saddened to think that she probably didn't have what the dog needed.

A pale tongue flicked out to taste the skin of her hand, that motion was soon followed by a longer more languid lick. As if Kanna was testing the reality of what she had just tasted. Violet locked with emerald as the canine leaned into the kunoichi's hand. Then, very gingerly, as if telling Sakura not to fear, the silvery beast nipped the girl's middle finger. And before the woman could react, she felt the tingle of a foreign chakra being infused into her body.

Hana looked from woman to dog, then back to the woman. What was going on? This looked like the first step of Chakra Infusion, but it couldn't be. Sakura wasn't born an Inuzuka.

She watched the two as they stood connected via chakra-trade, neither looking away from the other. Suddenly, Sakura's own chakra flared to a brilliant green and surrounded the two. It wasn't malevolent or angry, but seemed to caress the two carefully. The pink-haired lady didn't even act as if she realized that her chakra was now rolling through the air on the outside of her body. The bubble pulsed sharply and Hana was forced to cover her eyes.

A moment later, she heard concern in Sakura's voice. "Hana, are you okay?"

The vet looked around, blinking. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She looked at the other woman and her new companion. Sakura looked utterly confused.

"Sakura, what just happened?"

"What do you mean? Kanna infused her chakra into my hand, and the next thing I knew, you were standing there with your face covered. Why?" A pale pink brow had raised in question.

"You mean, you didn't just flare your chakra on purpose?"

The younger woman's hand flew to her throat in search of a pale yellow piece of cloth that no longer lay there. She had only worn the scarf for a few weeks, when she was trying to prove herself to Kiba, but, now, even two years later, she often sought it out purely by way of nervous habit. Not having the flimsy material to twist in her fingers, the woman twisted her hands together in front of her.

"I did it again, without realizing. How odd that my body does that on its own." She looked at her sister-in-lw. "I'm gonna go see Tsnuade-shishou about this. She may know what's going on."

Kanna rubbed up against Sakura and waited for her mistress to give her a pat on the head before saying, "I'm just glad I finally found you. I was beginning to despair that I would never meet the right mistress."

With matching shrugs, the women turned back toward the main part of the clan's compound. Perhaps Tsume would be able to give some insight into what had just happened.

**Fruits Basket reference this time, did you catch it?**


	3. Welcome Home

**A/N: You guys just don't understand how happy I am that there is so much support for this storyline. I have gotten so many reviews and alerts lately, it's so cool. Okay, now down to business. I regret to inform you that I may not be updating at my usual speed. My roommates have changed their work schedules, so I will not be getting as much time alone to type as I used to. So, bear with me. Updates will probably be erratic. Don't worry, though, I have great things planned for this fic, and I will finish it.**

**Props to _earthbender068_ for mentioning me in her fic _Home Again_. KibaxSaku fans should read it, it's great!!**

**Also, if you haven't seen the fanart done by _sodapops_, go to my profile and check it out. It's awesome. Thanks again for the art.**

**Anyways...not of the owning kind here.**

**Oh, and guess who's finally back!!**

Becoming Inuzuka

Welcome Home

Shortly after Sakura and Hana had their little experience at the kennels, they found themselves sitting at their kitchen table explaining the whole story to Inuzuka Tsume. The woman had a grim look as they took turns telling what had occurred between Sakura and Kanna.

The beautiful silver dog took her new surroundings in stride by prancing into the kitchen and promptly joining Kuromaru in his favorite resting place under the kitchen table. He barely acknowledged the presence of the new pup, and only deigned to respond to her own introduction by barking his name. After that, the old dog refused to look in her direction, and he succeeded in ignoring her only when he focused on the human conversation that was going on above him.

"So, this pup performed the Infusion with you, Sakura?" Tsume asked with a raised brow as if not fully believing what these girls were saying. She looked from one to the other, "Well, why?" Sakura flushed at the question.

"I guess I never thought to ask." She then leaned from her chair to where she was looking beneath the table at the lumps that were the two canines.

"Ummm...Kanna-chan? Why did you infuse chakra into me? I'm not an Inuzuka." The silvery animal looked at her, a slow languid smile forming.

"It doesn't matter to me that you weren't born an Inuzuka. The fact is that you are one now. That and...you smell nice."

All of the humans in the room gaped in exaggerated awe. Kuromaru even whipped his head in the female dog's direction.

"You chose her because she smells nice?" The old dog asked, incredulous.

A light shrug was followed by, "Yeah, she smelled like something that I had lost long ago. I don't know what that was, but I lost it, and it smelled like Sakura. It's hard to explain."

The pink-haired woman blinked, then seemed to regain her composure. She focused her attention on the elder kunoichi.

"So, I take it something like this hasn't happened before."

"Never," Tsume shook her head.

"So, what do I do now?" Sakura sighed and slumped in her chair. This really wasn't her day. If only Kiba were home. But, then again, he wouldn't know what to do either. Suddenly the girl felt dizzy; this was just way too much to handle. Here she was, finally feeling confident in her own skin as the Alpha female of the clan, and she had proven herself to so many people in the process. Every day, more and more Inuzukas accepted her in a leadership capacity. Of course it didn't hurt that she had become the clan's primary medic, but all that mattered was that people were starting to trust her. And now this. An Inuzuka's relationship with his or her canine was something that was purely...well...Inuzuka. And here she was, an outsider, taking that away.

"Tsume, I don't feel so well."

Her mother-in-law came around to the other side of the table and pressed her hand to the girl's forehead. There wasn't a fever, but the youth was sweating, and her skin was clammy.

"I think you're just reacting from the shock of the Infusion, as well as your anxiety. Perhaps you should go and lie down."

"But, the council meeting..."

"I'll go in your place. I will give them a good reason for your absence, so they will not be offended. You need not worry. Now, to bed with you." Tsume shooed her daughter-in-law out of the room. And Kanna followed momentarily, after giving Kuromaru a playful lick to the ear to which the male only grumbled about 'damned kids and never leaving him alone'.

Once she knew that the girl was upstairs and well out of hearing range, even for one with supernatural senses, Tsume turned to her daughter.

"I will ask some of the more trustworthy council members about this. I want you to go to the compound's library and see if you can find anything. I just hope there is a good reason for a non-Inuzuka to take on so many traits."

"Ah, I thought it was weird that she took on so many of the family's qualities, while Kiba took on very few of hers." Hana mused, and Tsume nodded thoughtfully.

"I will also speak with the Hokage and see if she may have an idea. The girl was her apprentice for many years."

"So, how do you think he'll take all of this?"

"Kiba? Oh, hell, he'll be so happy. That boy will just see it as a sign that they really were meant for each other." The woman rolled her eyes. Like her son needed any more reasons to dote on his wife. Now, he'll insist that she is a true Inuzuka, and that everyone should treat her as such.

The two women sat quietly in the kitchen, wondering to themselves about the events that revolved around the one with the pink hair. Their pensive thoughts were only interrupted by quiet snores that wafted out from beneath the table. But, their solitude ended shortly, as it had become time for them to head to the council meeting, and their individual missions in gathering information.

* * *

Very early in the morning a few days later found a tired and worn-out Inuzuka Kiba hurtling his way home over the rooftops of Konoha. The mission, though successful, had gone longer than planned, and the dog-nin was in a frenzy to get home. He had been planning on parting ways with his team at the gates, but Kurenai had insisted they all go to the Hokage for debriefing. It had taken an hour, and Kiba had been at his wits end by the meeting's conclusion. When it was finally over, he had rushed from the office without so much as a wave goodbye to his team.

"I wonder if she's awake, yet ..." the clan-leader mused.

"Sakura? Not likely," came Akamaru's voice from beside him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right...which means, I get to wake her up!!"

"Just don't make so much noise this time. I don't think Hana could handle it." Akamaru admonished playfully. The great white dog always new by the spike in Sakura's scent when it was time to leave the area, so he was usually lucky enough not to witness or hear any of their goodbyes...or hellos, for that matter.

"What, she's just jealous. How long do you think it's been since she's been laid?"

"I would rather not think about your sister in that capacity. And I think it's inappropriate for you to think that way, too." Akamaru gave his master a wry look.

"It's not like that, you idiot. I have a right, no duty, to want my sister to be happy, don't I." Kiba pouted slightly.

"Yeah, right. You just want her to quit bitching at you," the dog chortled, and Kiba nodded nonchalantly. That was mostly it, after all.

Hana had developed a decent enough friendship with Sakura, and she had even begun to show Kiba a proper amount of respect. But, the woman was absolutely belligerent when it came to hearing, seeing, or even knowing about the two having sex. It was almost as if she were angry at the two. Kiba just chalked it up to jealousy over his healthy love life.

After a few minutes of discussing appropriate mates for the brunette vet-nin, the two made their way into their home. Kiba bee-lined for his bedroom to wake up a certain Mrs. Alpha, while Akamaru moved to his resting place on the couch in the living room.

The dark-haired shinobi sneaked his way into his bedroom, and made his way to the bed. The room was dark, but his canine enhanced eyes could see her clearly. The object of his affection lay on her stomach with her head turned away from him; one arm rested along her side while the other was curled up beside her face on the pillow. Waist-length pink hair was strewn everywhere along the pillows and the sheet that covered the woman's body. Even without seeing her face, the man smiled at how beautiful the girl was.

Sneaking onto the bed, he paused when Sakura moved slightly in her sleep. It wouldn't do for the girl to wake and attack him with the kunai she kept under her pillow. And, seriously, sneaking up on a shinobi with enhanced senses was the hardest thing in the world to do. When it was safe to move again, Kiba leaned in to the woman's head and took a long, slow whiff of her hair. Rain-soaked cherry blossoms mixed with a wild and free breeze over came his senses, and the boy nearly lost his cool right there. No, he needed to wake her slowly, if he wanted her to respond well to his advances.

Leaning closer, he whispered her name into her ear while laying gentle kisses there and along a smooth jawline. The woman stirred slightly, but did not wake. Kiba reached forward and rubbed his fingers along her cheek while saying her name a little louder. A pink head turned in the boy's direction and dull emerald eyes opened to look at him blearily. The boy didn't notice those eyes that were so sleepy.

"What the hell are those? Sakura, is this some kind of joke?" Kiba was standing in an instant and turning on the bedroom light to better see the woman's face. Sakura sat up and rubbed viciously at her eyes so that she could see clearly. Uh-oh, he had used her name, which meant this was serious.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was low from sleep. Her husband closed the gap between them as he reached for her face with both hands. With his thumbs, he rubbed her cheeks where there resided identical upside down red triangles, then backed away in shock from her shudder.

"They're real?" He gasped.

"Yes, it happened a few days ago when..." she was cut off by a loud snarl followed by a high pitched yelp then a low growl.

"Oh, no, Akamaru must have found her," she looked up at her husband in dismay.

"Found who?" He didn't get an answer because, in a flurry of pink-hair, the woman had left the room.

Still not quite sure as to what was happening, Kiba followed Sakura as she hurried to the living room. They were met with Akamaru standing in the center of the room facing the far wall, and he was all in an uproar. Kuromaru was standing in front of the younger dog with teeth bared in a defensive position...of protection? Then, Kiba saw the young female wolfhound. She was the prettiest silver color, but where had she come from?

Sakura moved up next to Akamaru slowly, hands in front of her in appeasement.

"Please, Akamaru, that's Kanna-chan. She's not a threat." The woman then looked at her husband. "I-I went to the kennels with Hana, and met Kanna-chan there. She's my companion."

Both boy and dog looked at the woman as if she were crazy.

"But, you're not an Inuzuka?" Both chimed simultaneously. Sakura slumped at that. Duh, she knew that already. Did everyone have to insist on reminding her every day? Suddenly Kanna's voice floated across the room from behind Kuromaru.

"Please allow me to stay here, Kiba-sama and Akamaru-sama. I have chosen Sakura-chan as my companion, and it cannot be taken back now." At this, Akamaru seemed to calm as he relaxed his stance and took to eyeing the female curiously.

"So, is that where the markings came from?" Kiba asked scratching his head.

"Your mother thinks so." She raised her hand, as he tried to ask another question, "No, we don't know why it happened. Tsume and Hana are working on that. Until then, I am going to continue using a transformation technique so that I still look like my old self. And yes, Kanna and I have already begun our training. I gave up my shifts at the hospital so that I can have time to build my relationship with my companion."

Kiba noted the sadness in his wife's voice at this revelation. He could smell the sadness on her as well. Kanna seemed to notice too since she looked at her mistress and whined quietly. This meant that Sakura had given up the last thing that tied her to her old life. She no longer worked for the Hokage, went on very few missions, no longer had a shinobi team, and now she had given up her medic duties at Konoha's hospital. He hated himself and his family right about now. Well, maybe he could make it up to her.

"So, Pink," he said huskily moving up to wrap his arms around the woman, "do you have clan markings anywhere else?" Sakura's blazing red blush was answer enough. Without giving the woman any time to speak, he hoisted her over his shoulder and headed toward their bedroom.

And, just as the first rays of dawn painted the skies over Konoha, Akamaru found himself telling the new canine of the house that she should probably stay out in the living room instead of following her mistress out of worry.

"Believe me, you don't want to be anywhere near what they're about to do."


	4. Finding Her Mark

**A/N: Hey what's up all? So this chapter is just mainly only in here for sheer dirtyness. I somehow managed to get my lemon in this fic way faster than I thought I would. So, here's your warning. I'll be moving on with the plot more in the next chapter, so enjoy this little bit of romance between our couple.**

**_Lady Rea_: To answer your question. Remember that Kuromaru was there the whole time, and that he knows the situation. Also, he accepts Kanna because she belongs with Sakura. Plus Akamaru just kind of jumped without assessing the situation, and he had to step in to keep something bad from happening.**

**Anyways, Naruto and his friends do not belong to me, but I have kidnapped Kakashi, and he is currently tied up in my closet. Guess what I do with him...**

Becoming Inuzuka

Finding Her Mark

Being flipped upside down over her husband's shoulder was a bit disorienting, and she didn't have enough time to even respond before she was carried to their bedroom. He obviously had plans that were not about to be sidetracked by recent developments. Oh, well, they really could deal with things in the morning.

As he made his way into the room, Sakura felt her favorite dog-nin's hands roam up and down her legs and across her backside which was barely covered by the scrap of fabric that was her panties.

After entering the room and finding the bed, Sakura waited to be half-thrown/half-dropped onto it, but she was surprised when the man didn't relinquish his hold right away. He merely stood in the middle of the room with his wife hanging from his shoulder. She was even more surprised when he nuzzled the outer edge of her leg, then gave a long slow lick up the thigh.

"Ummm...Kitten, what's wrong?" Blood had begun to rush to her face, and she was feeling more than a little light-headed. Abruptly, Kiba swung her to stand directly in front of him, and he placed his hands on her hips. He looked at her for a long moment before pulling the girl into a tight embrace. Sakura could only sigh as her man buried his face in her hair as if reacquainting himself with her scent. All she could do was bury her face in his neck and do the same.

Kiba inhaled softly and breathed in his wife's scent. He would never get enough of their combined fragrance, and all he could think about right at that moment was how lucky he was that she had stuck it out with him, even though his family had made their two years together more than difficult.

"Pink, I missed you so much," came his muffled voice. His mumbled confession may have been difficult to make out, but his wife could hear the emotion in his voice. His scent had changed slightly as well. He was apprehensive about something.

The woman took in one last inhalation of the powerful strong male scent that was Kiba and wondered about why, even after two years, he still didn't carry much of her scent on him. Perhaps, it had just faded from their time away from one another. And perhaps, she needed to get him into bed so that she could cover him with her scent; further enforcing their bond.

_That is so what we need right now. Jump him like there's no tomorrow!! _Inner Sakura was drooling at the proposition of a very naked Kiba covering her body in the throws of passion. Sakura, herself, was ready to initiate the thought when the man stopped her.

He moved his hands from her waist to cup her face, again rubbing the clan markings with his thumbs.

"You really need to tell me about these," he said darkly. Sakura flinched at both the contact as well as the sound of his voice. She looked down which was difficult since her face was held stationery by two very strong hands.

"I'm sorry. Are you angry with me?" Her heart began to break right there. She really didn't mean for this to happen. Hell, she didn't even know _how_ it happened, and now he was mad at her for taking something that wasn't hers. Not that she really blamed him.

"I told you to never look away from me." He said forcefully, then his voice lowered intimately. "It's just that you've always been so beautiful, but now...To see you with the mark of my clan is just so..damned sexy."

Sakura had just enough time to look back up at him with astonishment in her eyes before she was pulled into a searing kiss. She reveled in the fact that her man had become an even better lover, if that was possible. And his breath-defying kisses were still just as suffocating as ever.

Gently, the Alpha picked his mate up and carried her to their bed. After depositing the woman in the middle of the mattress, he rid himself of his clothing with little ceremony. Fully declothed, Kiba sat next to Sakura and caught her in another lip-lock. This time it was slow and lazy; he wasn't in a hurry, and they had the rest of the morning.

While being kissed thoroughly senseless, Sakura took advantage of her husband's nudity by finding the places that she knew drove him wild with desire. First, she ran her fingers along the bright red markings across the Inuzuka's cheeks. He grunted into her mouth as his body shivered. Then, she smiled wickedly against the man's lips as she moved her hand down to caress the marking that coiled around his left thigh. This particular sensitive spot often turned the dominant male into little more than a whimpering puppy when she got her hands near it.

But, he had other plans for this moment. Kiba stopped the slowly trailing hand before it could touch the skin, and he gripped both of her wrists before breaking their kiss.

"I don't think so, Pink. I still have to see if you have any other markings." And Sakura suddenly found herself flat on her back with a curious Inuzuka male searching her body for red-stained skin. She would never get over how fast the boy moved when he wanted to. Even with her heightened agility, she would never be able to matched the guy's speed. And he only seemed to get faster as he got older.

Sakura squirmed under her husband's scrutiny, and tried to break his hold on her wrists. He gave her a light growl, which always rekindled her desire for him, then pulled her hands over her head. Above the mass of pink, Sakura found her hands being held in one of Kiba's by way of reinforced chakra. Ahhh, so he was using her own trick against her. One of the many uses of enhanced chakra control. That and a really wicked chakra-scalpel that could slice through bone. Sakura found herself wondering if Kiba had figured out how to do anything like that with his 'gift' from her. Her thoughts didn't wander far, though, since she felt a draft cover her body.

Amidst her slight daydream, the woman hadn't noticed that the dog-nin had used his claws to cut the nightgown from her body.

"Kiba, you ass. Why did you go and do that?" Sakura's voice shrilled. He winced at the pitch of her voice before giving her a cheeky wink.

"I was jealous that it got to be so close to you, so I killed it." He stuck his lip out in a pout. Sakura's giggle turned into a moan when Kiba found what he had been looking for. The newly formed clan marking was in the shape of a crescent moon and resided just below her navel. It was absolutely beautiful, and he just had to taste it.

"Did I ever tell you how good you taste?" He smiled up at the woman who only nodded dully with glazed over eyes. He chuckled, sending vibrations through the woman's body. This was torture, and she was sure that he would mean her death some day.

Kiba decided it was time to stop toying with his wife, so he let loose of her hands. Said hands immediately fisted themselves into his hair when he pulled her panties from her body and proceeded to give her most intimate of places a slow kiss.

Their next mind-blowing lip-lock carried with it her own flavor, and Sakura was pushed even further over the edge as she tasted herself in her husband's mouth. She ground herself against his erection frantically, demanding that he enter her heat. The boy could do nothing but comply.

He gripped the sheets as he entered her body slowly. She always just felt so good, and her core was so slick for him. It took every bit of self-control to keep from marking her every time they made love. Every instinct that resided in him cried out to continually make her his; to continually pour his scent into her to keep others away. Deep down, though, he also knew that she didn't need to be marked over and over again. Sakura was his, end of story.

Pink hair stuck to her forehead as her body was covered with a light sheen of sweat, and Kiba leaned in to kiss that forehead that he loved so much. He started to move in and out; first slowly, then quickening his pace. Sakura mewled breathlessly. Huh, and she call _him_ a kitten.

It didn't take long for the two to be crashing into one another feverishly seeking their release, and Kiba did everything in his power to hold on until she reached her peak. Finally, with a light nip on the shoulder, the girls' scent spiked and she screamed out in climax. Soon, enough, the male Inuzuka pushed his last thrust into the woman's body before spilling himself into her.

A few moments later, they lay side-by-side, chests still heaving from their exertion. Kiba leaned up on his elbow to gaze at the pink-haired beauty that belonged to him.

"Hello, honey, I'm home." He leaned forward to kiss her lips. A sleepy smiled crossed her face.

"Welcome back, dear."

"Come on, let's get some sleep. I'm exhausted," he said while pulling the sheets up over their bodies. "You need your rest, if you're going to deal with Ino today." The woman sat up straight and looked at him with wide eyes.

"What do you mean? I'm not seeing Ino today...Unless...did something happen?" He laughed lightly before pulling her back down into a spooning position.

"No. I'm just giving you the day off. You need it, girl, and I can handle things around here for a day. How long has it been since you've seen her?" He felt awful that his wife never got to see her friends. He, himself, still saw every one by way of missions and such. But Sakura rarely left the compound anymore, so he knew she must be feeling pretty lonely, right about now. Especially with recent developments. He could only hope that a day with Ino would cheer the woman up a bit.

"It has been a while." The medic shifted as she was overcome with an enormous yawn. Kiba kissed her ear and whispered 'goodnight'. It fell on deaf ears as the girl was breathing heavy, already sleeping deeply. The brunette was not too long behind her.

* * *

A few hours later, Sakura awoke to a quiet house. She could tell immediately that the other human residents had already left, and that Kiba had been true to his word that she could take the day off. She rolled over to his side of the bed, which was a ritual for her when he was gone in the mornings. The woman was met with ad odd lump that was breathing deeply.

"Kanna-chan? I told you that canines are not allowed in our room. If Akamaru finds out, he'll have a coronary." The silvery female looked at her mistress through slitted eyes.

"Why's it matter to him?" She grunted.

"Kiba's never allowed him to sleep in here, not even on the floor." The nin-dog's head jerked up. She was fully awake, now.

"But Kiba-sama, asked that I come in here to keep you warm until you woke." The woman's brow furrowed skeptically, but the dog went on. "He also asked me to take care of you whenever he's not with you. I think Kiba-sama loves you very much, Sakura-chan."

The woman lay back down for a moment and lazily scratched the pup's side. Then, a thought struck.

"So, how did things go with you and Akamaru, after I left the room?"

"Well, he seemed a little more at ease after knowing the circumstances of my being here. He let me sleep on the end of the couch."

"Really? Akamaru shares that couch with no one. Maybe he likes you." She winked at the dog, who only shook her head.

"It was because I wanted to follow you. But he said that I didn't want to be in there, then offered to let me sleep on the couch." Violet eyes inspected the woman. "You smell different, Sakura-chan. What happened in here last night?" Sakura's face dropped at the thought of explaining human sex to an adolescent pup, and she chose that moment to go bathe.

Several minutes later, Sakura and Kanna were headed out of the Inuzuka compound, on their way to the Yamanaka flower shop. Though, Ino and Chouji had married about a year ago, Ino still assisted in her family's shop. Especially now that she was on leave from her shinobi duties, considering that she would be giving birth probably any minute.

At the sight of pink hair entering the building, the blond tottered her way to the woman; full squeal carrying through the room. Ino's parents bustled into the room thinking their grandchild was being born on the floor. Relief covered their faces when they saw that their daughter was smothering a long-lost friend with her swollen breasts.

"So, Ino, how about we get some tea?" Sakura asked while extracting herself from her friend. A thin blond brow arched at her.

"What, Boss-man gave you the day off. I highly doubt that." She did her best to cross her arms menacingly over her chest. Failed miserably. Sakura sighed and blew the air through her bangs.

"You know it's not like that." Time to change the subject. "Ino, meet Kanna, she's my canine companion." Ino looked at her suspiciously. Everyone knew that you had to be born an Inuzuka to get a companion. Sakura tugged on her friend's elbow.

"Come on, I've got some gossip, you've just got to hear." Blue eyes brightened, and the already glowing mind-control expert started to shine.


	5. Catching Up

**A/N: Pssst...I'm back!! So this chapter is a bit of filler, but it has a bit of fun in it. We'll start getting to the important stuff soon. I promise!! And, there are some references about gay couples in here. I am making a point about a character's personality and how others portray him. It is all in good fun and not meant to be offensive. So, without further ado...Oh, and thanks to all of those who have alerted this fic and myself and to all of my reviewers. I owe you all cookies some day. Anyways...**

**I still have Kakashi locked away, and I will be stealing Gaara away very soon. But, I do not own them.**

Becoming Inuzuka

Catching Up

The two women sat at their favorite table in their favorite tea house and placed their orders. Ino waited impatiently for the waiter to move away from them, then she glared at her friend. What the hell? Sakura had invited her out with the promise of great gossip, and now she wasn't delivering.

Said pink-haired woman looked around the room; at anything that wasn't currently blazing blue eyes. She had told Ino that she had some important news just to get her out of the shop, but now that they were here, she just couldn't come up with anything juicy.

"Okay, so you don't really have any new gossip for me. I get it. So why did you really bring me here?" Ino eyed her friend.

"Ummm...no, really, I do have something good for you," Sakura frantically wracked her brain. "Oh, did you know about Sasuke and Sai?" Ino scoffed obnoxiously.

"That is such old news. Forehead, how long has it been since you've been out?"

"Wait.. the last I knew, they weren't telling anyone." Well, that really was an understatement. Actually, the Uchiha had been adamant that all parties who knew keep it a secret. Apparently, he thought that his reputation would be tarnished by the knowledge that he was the uke in an all-male relationship.

"Oh, they weren't, but then Naruto found out. And he told everyone." Ino laughed at Sakura's paled face. So Naruto had outed his friends.

"Did he do it on purpose?"

"No, he just found out, and was so happy for them that he bellowed it to the world." Yup, that sounded like Naruto alright. "I must say that I was a little shocked. I mean, seriously, the hottest guy in our class, one whom we both pined after for so long, turned out to be a taker."

"I know," Sakura chimed in as the waiter brought them their drinks. "He is one of the most dominant personalities I know, but add the right guy, and he becomes a total submissive." This was met my another snort from the blond.

"Sounds like someone else I know." Emerald glinted and burned into brilliant blue.

"I said, it's not like that." And it really wasn't. The fact that Sakura had given up so much for the clan actually had nothing to do with Kiba. She just found herself so busy day in and day out, and it hadn't taken long before the woman had realized that she was completely void of anything that reminded her of her old life.

Ino ceded with a sigh. "I know, Forehead, I just worry about you." Sakura nodded and returned to her tea. After a long pause, Ino spoke up, "so why did you really invite me out."

Sakura looked around to see who was in the shop. At this time of day, there were very few patrons, and most of them were civilians. The girls didn't know any of them. She then leaned across the table to whisper to her friend.

"I want to show you something, but you can't tell anyone." At Ino's look, her expression hardened. "Not yet, at least." When the other woman nodded, Sakura dropped her transformation technique.

The mind-control expert gaped at the red marks that embellished her friend's cheeks. Kanna whined softly and nuzzled her mistress's hand. She didn't understand why Sakura was showing this outsider her markings. It had been agreed that no one should know about the woman's appearance until it was decided how to deal with the changes.

The silvery dog's thoughts were muddled at the high pitched shriek that came out of the stranger's face.

"Oh, Forehead, where did you get those? Is that why you have a companion now? Really, what's the deal?" When she stopped for breath, Sakura was finally able to join into the conversation. She explained what had happened between she and Kanna, and why she had to cover the marks with a transformation technique. Ino nodded in agreement.

"So, what will you do?"

"I don't know. Hana and Tsume are searching for some sort of explanation within the family's records, but they're not getting very far." She paused to take another drink, and Ino fingered a strand of her hair thoughtfully.

"Maybe the Hokage would know something."

"Pig, you're a genius. I never thought to ask the Godaime about this. Surely, Konoha would have records of something this big...unless the clan kept it a secret." Well, that took care of the rest of her day; she would go visit her mentor for some answers. Ino spoke again after another long pause.

"So, did you know about Kakashi and Hana?" Tea spewed across the table and nearly hit her.

"My sister-in-law?" At Ino's nod, Sakura spluttered indignantly.

"Yup, apparently they are quite the item. And you Inuzukas claim such grand senses of smell. I can't believe you can't smell that pervert all over her." Sakura smiled, just wait till Kiba heard this.

* * *

Another hour went by, and Sakura found herself saying an almost tearful goodbye to her friend. Hugs were difficult because of Ino's pregnant belly, but the two managed somehow. The blond acted as if she would never see Sakura again, and the medic had no idea of what to say to console her friend. She couldn't promise to see her soon because she didn't know when 'soon' would be. So, the girl sufficed with holding her friend and shushing her in an effort to keep tears from falling.

When Ino turned the corner to head back to the flower shop, both women waved one last time, and Sakura pivoted in the direction of the Hokage's office. She really didn't have anywhere else to be, so she decided now was as good a time to see her former mentor as any. Kanna let loose with another whine.

"What's the matter, Kanna-chan," Sakura asked as she patted the dog on the head.

"I didn't think you were supposed to tell anyone about the marks. Isn't Kiba-sama going to be mad?"

"I know I'm not supposed to tell, but I just needed to talk to someone who would understand how I feel. I've been friends with Ino for a long time, and I just needed to talk to her about it." She looked at the pup knowing that the animal would not understand the concept of the human need for friends. The pup stopped walking and looked up at her morosely.

"I know I'm not human, and that I am part of the reason for your sadness, but I hope that you will come to see me as a friend. I want us to have a relationship like Akamaru and Kiba-sama." Sakura nearly cried, herself, at the canine's words, and she bent down to hug the animal. Perhaps, she really needed to work more on their relationship; not just on their skills as a shinobi team, but on their actual friendship.

"You know, Kiba's going to have a fit if you continue to call him that," she said as she stood, ruffling the dog's hair.

"Does it offend him?" The dig nearly paled at the thought of offending her mistress's mate.

"Nah...it's just that the ass-kissers and snobs call him that. You're not one of those are you?" Kanna nearly pouted and shook her head resolutely.

"I thought so...hey," Sakura's attention was pulled to something in the field next to them. "Come on, Kanna, let's go talk to my old team." And with that, she bounded off toward Team Kakashi's practice field.

"Hey, Kakashi, what's up?" Sakura said as she skidded to a stop at the place that the silver-haired ninja was resting. His nose, as always, was stuck in a book. At the new title, Sakura cocked a brow.

"How can there be a new Icha Icha book?" The man sighed at the intrusion into his solitude and moved to put the book away, but he wasn't quick enough. His only female student pulled the reading material from his hand and began perusing its pages. He ran his hands through his hair, furthering the just-out-of-bed look he sported so well.

"Well, it seems that Jiraiya had written several more books worth of material, and that they have finally decided to put them all out."

"Wait, it says here that you're a consultant." Her green eyes were wide with, what was that...horror?

"Why do you look so shocked? I'm knowledgeable in all of the toad-sage's writings, so I was the natural choice for consultation in the new material." He 'oofed' lightly when the book landed in his lap.

"Yeah, well, don't let those ideas go to your head. You do realize that Kiba's gonna kill you when he finds out." Just to reinforce her statement the woman leaned close to the man and inhaled sharply. Yup, it was there alright. Hana's rose scent was mingled with Kakashi's forest scent. "It's only a matter of time before he smells you on his sister."

"Well, would you believe me if I say that I might be serious about her?" He asked softly, as if testing it out for himself.

"You, serious...about a girl?" Sakura's laughter was stopped short by his look. Damn, he really was serious. Anything else she might have said was cut off by a bone-crushing hug.

"Sakura-chan, where have you been?" Came Naruto's screech, which turned into a yell of alarm at the loud snarl that was directed at him.

"Umm..Naruto, everyone, please meet Kanna. She's my companion." Then she waited for the next question, the one that seemed mandatory to follow. Sasuke did not disappoint her.

"I thought only true Inuzukas got companions?" Came the question in that flat, dark voice. You would think that finding love would be enough to get the guy a personality, but it obviously wasn't.

"Yes, I thought so too. We're working on it."

"Well, if she has a companion, then doesn't that mean that she must be a true Inuzuka?" This was Sai, finally bringing his wisdom into the conversation. He spoke as if bored, which he probably was. His words, though delivered in a dull tone, warmed Sakura a bit. She knew she liked him for a reason. "You know, Sakura, I miss our training sessions. It really is too bad that you can't get time to spar."

"I know, and now I have even less time, what with training with Kanna and all."

"What do you mean?" Naruto looked at Sakura, head to the side. This was his trademark confused look.

"Kanna is Akamaru's age, but she is only just forming a bond with a human. And, I am not trained to have a canine, so we have to spend a lot of time getting to know one another. As well as learning how to work together as a shinobi team." More confusion from the blond boy. Sakura looked at the others for help; nope, they seemed just as confused. "The two of us are starting from the beginning, but we have to learn as fast as we can. So, I don't have time to do anything else." By this point, the woman was so agitated that she nearly stomped away, but she didn't because _any_ conversation with old friends was one that she didn't want to end.

"So, it's like you're a first year academy student all over again?" Naruto looked as if he would have an aneurysm trying to understand the woman.

"Well...sort of." She shook her head; this was almost as bad as her conversations with herself.

_I resent that _came a pouting Inner Sakura.

"Anyways, so how is everyone?" This is what Sakura really wanted to talk about. She wanted to hear about Naruto and Hinata, and how the newly weds were doing. Their wedding, a month before, had been the last time the medic had been out with friends. She and Kiba had been obligated as clan leaders, which made it easier for both of them, since they were close friends with the bride and groom. That night had been a blast, especially because of the overly possessive dog-boy that she called mate.

Kiba had only left her side when absolutely necessary, and while he was at the woman's side, he had not stopped touching her. Be it a hand on her lower back or at the nape of her neck, or an arm draped across her shoulders, the male Inuzuka displayed his claim adamantly. Of course Sakura couldn't complain, and she grinned smugly from looks from both men and women who were jealous of the very good-looking couple that headed the Inuzuka clan.

That night had ended heatedly, but the woman hadn't expected anything otherwise. Just by the way her husband had showed his dominance, she new she was in for it when they got home. And he delivered beautifully. The two had barely gotten through the door before he attacked her, and took her against the front door. This was followed by another jaunt in the shower. The next day had been one in which the two got thoroughly scolded by an angry Hana. And Tsume had even gotten in on the reprimand, but neither really cared. They just took their ass-chewing in stride, and then went about their business as if they had not had hot dirty sex on the living room door.

Sakura and her friends sat around beneath the tree in their practice field for a while longer just catching up. She was surprised to hear that Sasuke and Sai had gotten serious about one another, and that Sai was leaving the team so that the two could live together. She had forgotten that the village elders frowned upon teammates having relationships (though she did wonder how Chouji and Ino had gotten away with it). So, Sai had taken steps to make it to where he and his lover could start their lives together. This would surely be interesting.

She still didn't understand how that relationship worked. Sai _didn't know how_ to show emotions; or feel them for that matter. Sasuke _refused_ to show emotions. Well, he pretended that he wasn't affected by them, but everyone knew better. Sakura couldn't imagine those two going at it, especially with Sasuke on bottom. But, oh well, at least the two had someone to love.

The sun moved toward the middle of the sky. It was nearly lunchtime, and soon Naruto's growling stomach was so loud that no one could shout over it. She really needed to get to the Hokage's office anyway. So, after a few goodbyes and promises to come around more often, Sakura was on her way. Well, she also had to partake in another of Naruto's bone-crushing hugs. Kanna was more than happy to receive one as well, and she nearly knocked the boy over with her own version of the same hug.


	6. Sakura Who?

**A/N: Ah, so I really need to sort out this roommate thing. Anyways, I hope you guys aren't too mad about the wait. It's not for a lack of me trying to get online, but it just doesn't happen as often as I'd like. So, a little more angst and some limey fluff, but a little movement in the plot. Hope you likes it. And thanks for sticking it out with me.**

**Don't own anyone except Uchiha Machiko who makes an appearance. And Inuzuka Kumo and Inuzuka Ami, but I don't really claim them.**

Becmoing Inuzuka

Sakura Who?

Sakura looked at the sky; the sun had moved further toward the west. It was early afternoon and she still had one more place to go. Her day off wasn't going at all like she had planned. Ah, well, thus is the nature of days off. Plus, she was hungry, which, in turn, was making her cranky. She really hoped Tsunade was in a decent mood because she sure wasn't in the mood for the older kunoichi's crabbiness.

After dragging Kanna away from Naruto, as the dog had taken to the childish twenty-three year old, the woman was now hell-bent on finding her mentor. If the Inuzukas had no idea what was happening to her, the Hokage would. Hopefully.

"So, Kanna, can you tell me more about why you chose me to be your companion?" The silvery pup whined pitifully.

"Why? I've already explained myself several times, so why should I do so again?" Sakura bristled at the dog's whining.

"Because, I need to know what is happening to me. Why my senses are heightened, why I look like an Inuzuka. Why I have these god-damned cheek stripes..." The woman was near shouting at this point. The pup cringed at her mistress's sudden change. Her scent had spiked with her anger, and Kanna still didn't know how to handle the woman's mood changes.

"I-I don't know why your appearance has changed so much. Isn't that from your blood bond with Kiba-sama?"

At the sound of panic in her companion's voice, the girl calmed herself. It really wasn't Kanna's fault that this was happening.

"Sorry, Kanna-chan. I'm just a little stressed," she knelt down to pet the pup's head. "I know you aren't the cause of this, but it's just weird that you chose me. The fact is that I'm not a true member of the clan, and that should make me ineligible to have one such as you."

"Well, it's like I said before. You smelled like something I lost long ago. I don't know what that was, or when, but that's the only way I can describe it. That is why I chose you. We belong together, Inuzuka or not. If you had not come along, I never would have chosen a companion, so please don't be sad over me. I can't take your sadness anymore." The grey wolfhound nuzzled her mistress's hand softly.

"Oh, Kanna, my sadness has little to do with you. I just feel so lost. I'm in completely unfamiliar territory, and no one, not even my husband, can help me. I don't even know who I am anymore."

"I know," came a voice from behind her. "You are one of the strongest kunoichi to ever come out of The Village Hidden in the Leaves, and you are a superb medic." Sakura turned to see her mentor standing at the entrance of the building that housed her office. The pink-haired woman had not realized that she had stopped right in front of the building.

She jumped up and wiped the tears from her face while trying to adjust her clothing. The blond eyed her former student momentarily, then shifted her gaze to the dog that stood next to her. Suddenly, she looked over her shoulder at the building and tensed.

"Walk with my Sakura...now." Realization dawned on the younger woman's face.

"Skipping out on our duties, are we? What makes you think that I'll take part in your escape?" She stood in her not-taking-any-shit-from-you-Hokage-or-not pose with hands on hips, glaring menacingly.

"If you want my help with your little predicament, you won't say a word to Shizune, and you'll come with me." The woman matched Sakura's pose but with arms crossed over her ample chest, looking meaningfully at Kanna. Sakura had no choice but to relent. She allowed her arms to hang limply then turned to follow the Godaime to God-only-knew-where.

An hour later found Sakura sitting in a dark bar finishing a weak attempt at curried rice while the blond sitting across from her finished off her third bottle of sake.

"So, show me these marks..." slurred the Hokage. The pink-haired medic looked around the room to see if it was safe to show her secret.

"Oh, come on, you've told Ino. How long do your think it'll stay secret with the Queen of Gossip just itching to dish anything new when it comes to you? You don't realize how much that girl misses talking shit about you behind your back." Tsunade sloshed the minuscule amount of booze left in her bottle. She glanced up to see Sakura fuming. "You mean that you actually thought you could trust that girl with this?" This new development in her former student's life must be frying her brain if she was naive enough to believe that Yamanaka Ino could keep any secrets. The girl had been pissed at Naruto for weeks because he outed Sasuke and Sai before she could.

The young woman thought for a moment, then she shrugged. The woman did have a point. Half of the village was sure to know by now. Oh well. She glanced around once again for measure then dropped the transformation jutsu. Tsunade's breath caught sharply before she let out a long whistle. Then, she bellowed for more liquor.

"Well, I have a theory about this, but I can't tell you what it is until I've done some research," the elder kunoichi said after she called for more drinks. At Sakura's disheartened look, she moved on quickly. "I will tell you that I can only see this as a good thing."

"Yeah...sure...It took me so long to find myself, then all of a sudden, I'm lost again." The young woman's hand crept to her throat, searching for a knotted piece of cloth, but found nothing so it occupied itself with the collar of the girl's jacket.

"No...I think you're still in there. I just think that you are finally ready to embrace your own abilities." At the questioning look from the girl, the last remaining Sannin went on. "Think back; all generations have their great shinobi. Those who have impacted the village and everyone in it. Usually those great ninja have become Hokage, like all of my predecessors. Then, there are those who belong to great teams such as those of us known as Sannin. Kakashi and his team were destined to be great, but with the deaths of his friends, that left Kakashi to accomplish that all by himself. Thus, I think that your team will be the great ones for your generation. Naruto and Sasuke have already proven themselves, and so now it's your turn."

This took the girl by complete surprise. She had never thought of things that way, but it was madness to think that her abilities could even come close to rivaling her former teammates'.

"Ummm...shouldn't you be telling this to Sai? He's on that team, not me."

"Well, that takes me to what I really wanted to talk to you about. It seems that Kurenai has finally decided to retire, and so there is an opening on her team. Shino will naturally step into the leadership role there, but they need a fourth. And, as you know, Sai has put in to transfer because of his relationship with Sasuke, so he will be filling the empty slot on that team. Since I know that you are not available to go on all missions, and since Team Kakashi is perfectly capable of functioning as a three-man team in most instances, it is only logical for you to be placed on that team. And, I think it will be good for you to work with your former team."

Sakura sat with mouth moving wordlessly, looking much like a fish out of water. This was a surprise. She had hoped that the Hokage could help her, not compound the problem further. The last thing she really needed right now was the obvious stress of being on a team; let along _that_ team. But there was no way that she could argue.

Seeing the younger woman's distress, Tsunade leaned forward and gripped the hand that was fumbling with her jacket collar.

"Spending more time with your friends will help, I promise." With that, she stood and swept out of the room.

The second-best medic in Konoha sat at the table in stunned silence for a long moment. A clearing of someone's throat brought her out of her thoughts in due time.

"I hope you are planning on paying for the Hokage's drinks." Not really a question, and stated in a voice that said that she would not be able to worm her way out of paying her mentor's tab. So, Sakura paid for her pitiful meal as well as four bottles of sake, then she left to make her way home.

As she made her way into the Inuzuka compound, the pink-haired lady was suddenly overcome with a need to see her husband, so she veered toward the compound's main building. This place held all of the clan leaders' offices as well as the meeting hall and library. Sakura had been here many times, but she hated going to the second floor which housed the offices. It was more than likely that she would meet up with one or more of the clan officials, which meant that she would have to be nice and polite which really sucked. At the door to the building, the woman steeled herself, adjusted her clothing, then checked her transformation technique. With a smile she raised her head proudly and swaggered into the building.

And, of course she was bombarded with well-wishers and brown-nosers. But, the worst thing was all of the questioning glances at Kanna. How could she have forgotten about the pup? It took all of two steps into the building before Sakura dismissed the canine and sent her to rest at home. Of course, the silvery beast was reluctant to leave her mistress, but was soon glad to be on her way after one-too-many Inuzukas touched her tail.

Finally, making it to Kiba's office, Sakura let out a sigh of relief, but immediately sucked it back in. Inside the room, she could hear a heated discussion. Her super Inuzuka hearing wasn't even necessary to hear the conversation. It was Kumo and his bitch of a daughter telling Kiba how much better he could do than the lowly Haruno girl. Sakura's hackles raised, and she nearly barged in and beat the crap out that disgusting heifer right then.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't blatantly insult my _wife_, Kumo-san. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more meetings to attend." The door opened with a sense of finality, and the father came out of the room with daughter following defeatedly behind.

"So, Ami-san, how are Kyou's fleas?" Sakura asked from her resting place next to the door frame. Ami's face turned beet red, and she stammered for a moment before giving up on a retort. Kumo inclined his head disdainfully, then the two headed toward the man's own office.

"Oi, Pink, what brings you here?" Kiba poked his head out of the door to question his wife.

"Oh, nothing, just wanted to see the hottest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Well, what're ya doin' here? All you need for that is a mirror." He grabbed for the woman's wrist and practically drug her into the room. Before the girl could even capture her balance, the Inuzuka had her in one of his breath-defying lip-locks. Suffocating...really. It only took a few seconds before Sakura had been kissed senseless.

Upon seeing his girl's eyes glaze over, and hearing her breath become uneven, Kiba released her. She stared dumbly at him for a moment, and his grin spread into a toothy smile. The boy had needed a distraction from his duties, but he had not expected this. And, Sakura's scent spike had succeeded in pulling all of his thoughts away from his crappy day.

Before the girl even had time to react, she found herself hoisted on top of Kiba's paper-littered desk. All it took was his roaming hands finding the button of her jeans before Sakura was covering those hands with her own.

"Um...Kitten, what are you doing?" Her tone was a pitiful attempt at serious, and Kiba saw right through it. Of course, her scent was a dead give away that she knew what her husband had on his mind, and that she had no problems with it.

"Just need a taste of my favorite flavor...Pink." The sentence was muffled as the brunette, who had wiggled the woman out of her pants, kissed his way to Sakura's core. There, he lapped at her with that amazing tongue until she was howling out in pleasure.

After careening over the edge of her peak, Sakura opened her eyes to look up at the man who never ceased to amaze her. This hadn't happened in a while, and she wondered the occasion. Kiba shrugged as he helped the girl redress.

"I just needed a taste, like I said." Sakura didn't miss the pleased little smirk he had, and she just knew that this had something to do with Kumo and Ami. Ah, that was it. This must be one of those weird Inuzuka dominance thingies. But, at least he had taken his frustrations out on her by working magic with that amazing mouth.

"Hey, Pink, before, you go...can I see them?" Kiba didn't look at her, and he suddenly found one of the files on his desk to be really interesting.

"See what..." She suddenly realized that he was talking about her new cheek stripes. "Oh, you bastard. It's those god-damned markings, isn't it? That's why you find me so irresistable all of sudden. Now, I look like one of your stupid clan-girls. Well..." She was stopped from her rant by a strong embrace. The finger that had flown up to poke the male in the chest was crushed between them.

"How could you think that, Pink? I love you. Why, after all this time, do you still doubt me?" He gripped her harder as if he thought she might run away.

Sakura's resolve crumbled. What had just happened? Of course he would want to see them; they were a part of her. Right?

"I just don't know who I am anymore, and it just felt like you were seeing me differently." Deep green eyes brimmed with tears.

"Oh, Pink, when I look at you, that's exactly who I see. The lanky girl who always needed Naruto or Sasuke to rescue her, the medic who will one day be better than Tsunade, the Alpha Female of my clan...my mate. I will always see _you_, no matter what you look like." Sakura looked up into his soothing golden pools and all doubt swam away for the time being.

After a few more kisses and tender words of reassurance, Kiba shooed his wife out of his office. There was no way that he would get anymore work done with her there. It was going to be hard enough to get anything done with her aroused scent wafting through the air. And the other officials were bound to notice and say something. So, Sakura finally began the trek home after her long day off from her duties.

Kiba sat at his desk for a moment, contemplating Sakura's emotional distress. The girl had regressed back into the unsure little girl that she had been when he met her. And, what was worse was that he had no idea how to help her. Nothing about this had been recorded in the clan's history, and he could only hope that Tsunade could find something in the village's records. It was with this thought weighing heavy on his mind that the Alpha of the Inuzuka clan began to clear off his desk as he prepared to close up shop for the day.

While Kiba was thinking darkly about his wife's predicament, someone else was thinking hard about the woman's plight. Tsunade entered her office with a flourish and demanded that Shizune join her. The dark-haired assistant knew better than to yell at her boss about her absence. Something was obviously on her mind and had put her in a foul mood.

"Shizune, I need you to search the library for any information on Uchiha Machiko that is available."

"Why do you need information about her? What's this all about?" That was a subject that most people left alone, and she wondered at her mentor's sudden interest.

"It has to do with Sakura." This was all the explanation that she needed. Shizune headed out of the office in search of information, and Tsunade was left to her own thoughts.

"I really hope I'm wrong." Tsunade mused to herself as she watched her assistant run head-long out of the room.


	7. Team Kakashi Returns! Cha!

**A/N: What's up kiddies? Here is another chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. And, I just want to say thanks for all of your support. I know that I don't update as often as we all would like. Believe me, I do everything in my power to get this far. So, just bear with me. This is about to get good!! Loves.**

**And, I am still not of the owning of anything.**

Becoming Inuzuka

Team Kakashi Returns! Cha!

Sakura woke the next morning with a slight weight over her middle. The weight wasn't exactly heavy, and it was almost pleasant. It was familiar but almost unrecognized. She wriggled beneath the weight and reached to turn the blaring alarm clock off. As her body shifted, the weight tightened.

"Why are you getting up so early?" Came the muffled, sleep-filled voice of her husband as he buried his face in her shoulder.

Ahhh, so that was what the indiscernible weight had been; his arm across her waist. It had been so long since she had woken with him still in bed that the feeling of his body entwined with hers was almost new. She allowed herself a moment of bliss with his arms wrapped around her before she answered.

"I have to train with Kanna-chan this morning. And we have to work extra hard today, since someone kept me from it yesterday." This was met by a low rumbling chuckle.

"And who was that? Just think. Someone was able to distract the Great Sakura from her duties. Oh the humanity." Eyes still closed, he burrowed his head further into his wife's shoulder. The feeling of Kiba's breath on the sensitive scars on her neck and shoulder caused a shiver to run through Sakura's body."

"Mmmmm...You smell too good to let go. I could just eat you up." Then, snoring.

It would never cease to amaze the woman as to how her mate could converse with her with his eyes still closed and while not fully awake. As if in response to her thoughts, said Inuzuka pulled in a low snorting snore and mumbled something about loving the flavor of all things pink. This made Sakura snicker as she pulled herself away from her man's arms. He grumbled slightly at the loss of her body, and she smiled softly at his antics.

A few moments later, Sakura was dressed and ready to head to the training field. And, with one last glimpse at the body that had sprawled itself across their bed, she made her way to the kitchen for an early breakfast.

When the Inuzuka female got downstairs, she was met with a light 'hullo' from Tsume who was in her usual seat at the kitchen table enjoying a nice cup of tea. Sakura wished the woman a good morning, then she said hello to Kuromaru who was beneath the table crunching on some freshly cooked bacon. The two women sat and spoke about the coming day for a few minutes before Sakura decided it was time to wake Kanna and head out. Tsume spoke up.

"Can I suggest a training method to use with Kanna?" Sakura was caught by surprise. This was new. She and Tsume had forged a decent relationship, but the woman hadn't volunteered to help her like this before. This made the girl weary for a moment before she came to her senses. It was probably just that Tsume had realized that the pink-haired nin had absolutely no idea what she was doing. For some reason, this concept irked inner-Sakura to the point of protest. The girl pushed her thoughts down and listened intently.

"I know that you have superb chakra control, so this shouldn't be too hard for you." The elder kunoichi stood and made her way to the sink to begin washing the morning dishes. "It's called 'dog and cat'. We teach it to the young Inuzukas when they first begin training with their pups. It gets you used to one another's chakra." The woman looked over her shoulder to make sure that her audience was captivated.

Sakura stood at the kitchen door with head cocked to the side.

_'Dog and cat' sounds like a kid's game to me_, scoffed a very offended Inner-Sakura. The woman swatted her inner phantom who stuck her tongue out while fading into the shadows of her brain.

"What you do, is choose who will be the cat and who will be the dog. Then, the dog chases the cat using only her senses and chakra signatures. The cat tries to hide her chakra while avoiding the dog. This is a great way for pairs to get to know one another by their chakra as well as teaching you how to mask your chakra. It also allows you to utilize all of your senses by way of searching and tracking." She turned to look at Sakura, "so what do you think?"

The younger kunoichi looked at her mother-in-law with a bright toothy smile.

"Sounds fun. I think Kanna-chan would make a great 'cat'." This was met by a low rumble from the living room.

Kanna raised her head from her place at the end of the couch and glared at her mistress. This was followed by a yawn and a stretch, then the pup pulled herself from her resting place next to Akamaru. It surprised Sakura that Akamaru had allowed Kanna to sleep on the couch beside him once again. It seemed that, though the two had only known one another for about a day, they were forming a strong bond. Sakura arched her brow at the dogs.

"So, you share your bed now, Akamaru?" The great white beast adjusted himself on the cushion, and spoke without deigning to look at her.

"The bitch was scared again, so I let her sleep near me to feel safer." Kanna's hackles rose, but before she could unleash her obvious anger on the male, another deeper voice made itself known.

"Admit it, pup, you invited her to sleep there so that her scent was closer to you," came Kuromaru's rasping voice in what could have been a chuckle. Akamaru swished his tailed and went back to faking sleep so that they would leave him alone.

Sakura smiled knowingly. So, Akamaru had a crush on Kanna. Well, this could get interesting, considering that her pup acted as if she knew nothing about how adults, even canines, acted toward one another. As if confirming her thoughts, the pup asked a rather innocent question.

"What's that smell, Sakura-chan? It's all over you. It's even in you." The pup pulled a long whiff before trying to bury her snout beneath her paws. Once again, Kuromaru answered good-naturedly. Well, for him anyways.

"You idiot pup, that's what a mated bitch smells like. And, if Akamaru has his way, you'll be smelling much like that very soon." Another near chuckle. Tsume nearly choked on her tea as she tried to refrain from laughing outright at the pup's innocence.

Kanna looked from Sakura to Akamaru's back with a horrified expression. Her silvery fur tinted a shade of green. The pink-haired lady reached out and patted the pup's head.

"Don't worry Kanna, I'll explain everything some time. Come on, let's go train."

Before they made it out of the Inuzuka clan's compound, Sakura was nearly tackled by a hyper-active six-year-old.

"Hi, Kyou-kun. How are the fleas?"

"Oh, they're all gone now. You should have seen how mad Auntie Ami was about them, but momma says that all pups my age get them at least once." The boy punctuated his sentence with a fierce hug.

"Haha, that's right. Your momma really knows her stuff." Just then the two were joined by Kyou's mother, Marie. Sakura had almost forgotten that she was the parent who had donated the boy his looks, but it still struck her that an Inuzuka would carry such feline traits. Both women exchanged hellos before Kyou pulled away from Sakura sharply. His bright smile had turned to a look of pure disgust, and he covered his nose with his hands.

"Sakura-san! What is that icky smell that's all over you?" his slightly muffled voice demanded. The pink-haired lady blushed and looked at the older woman for help. How could she explain this to a six-year-old, especially since she couldn't really explain it to a half-grown dog? Marie took her son's hands and knelt to his height.

"Kyou-chan, do you know how mommy smells like daddy?" The boy nodded. "Well, Sakura-san smells like Kiba-san because she is married to him, and their pups will smell like both of them. And some day, your wife and pups will carry your scent. That's part of growing up." Sakura sighed in relief. It was completely truthful and uncomplicated; she looked at Kanna to see if the pup had understood. From the confused look in her violet eyes, the woman just knew that she hadn't understood at all. The medic nearly sweat-dropped at this. Was Kanna really that dense; a six-year-old had gotten it!

Marie's words calmed the boy, and, after asking Sakura if she would be his wife so that he could get Kiba's scent off of her, they parted ways. Sakura and Kanna were, once again, on their way to train.

Once the woman and her canine companion had decided which would play what role in their little game, they moved to opposite sides of their training ground. It just so happened that Sakura had chosen Team 7's old training area, and the one that the current Team Kakashi still used. So the girl had some advantage, since she already knew the terrain so well. Of course she would go easy on the pup, since she was still rather inexperienced. Of course she would...

Sakura had decided to play the part of the 'cat' so that Kanna could brush up on her tracking skills. After all, Sakura was a little more experienced in this field. And the pup still had a lot to learn about her own capabilities before she could really utilize her relationship with her mistress. This arrangement would also allow Sakura to practice masking her chakra. Of all of the techniques that took extreme control, chakra-masking was the most difficult. And, it was the least practiced in the medic's repertoire.

Feeling that she had found a suitable hiding place, the woman contemplated the best way to go about her task. She could make a shadow clone, and use it as a decoy while masking her own chakra. But, maintaining a shadow clone would exert energy, and she would eventually be found. So, for starters, she summoned her energy and dispersed it evenly throughout her body. Then she concentrated on sealing it within herself. The ruse worked for a while, but Sakura's concentration faltered when her clumsy self nearly fell out of the tree that she had perched in for a moment. It had only been a second, but it had been long enough for the pup to find her. When she was found, their meeting turned into an all-out battle when Sakura refused to be caught so easily. Thus, the two spent the better part of two hours training in this manner before they were interrupted by their favorite loud-mouthed fox-boy.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, why are you and Kanna-chan training in our practice field," hollered a curious Naruto. Both woman and dog halted their brawl to join Naruto and the rest of Team Kakashi under their usual tree.

"Sorry, we just needed to get in some practice with learning one another's chakra. Ummm, do you guys need the field?"

"No, we're just on our way to the Hokage's office," interjected a rather pouty Uchiha. He was usually pretty pensive, but at the moment he was just down-right pathetic. His face was even more taught and darker than usual, and he refused to look up when he spoke. He just stood there and kicked at the rocks beneath his feet. It was at that moment that Sakura noticed that Sai was not with his team. Perhaps, he had already transferred to Shino's team. Ahhh, so that must be what he's so upset about. But why? He should be happy because now they could be together. She was just about to ask him about this when the third male in their little group spoke from behind his book.

"Come on guys, you know how the Hokage is when she is kept waiting." He sounded absolutely bored. All eyes turned to him, even Sasuke's.

"Since when does it bother you to make anyone wait?" Questioned an outraged Naruto. Sakura's eye-twitch was a sign that she was none-to-happy about the comment either.

"Just tell her you got lost along the road of life, like you always told us," was her retort.

"You can tell her. You're supposed to join us in our meeting with her," he said by way of answer before wandering lazily in the general direction of Tsunade's office building.

"Ooooh, you are such an ass. Just wait until I tell Kiba about you and his sister," shouted Sakura. Naruto stared at her in complete shock, but before he could ask, Kakashi had fixed the woman with a glare from over his shoulder.

"Ah, well, I guess he'll find out sooner or later, anyways," he said after a moment with a shrug. Sakura stared after him for a moment before falling in beside Sasuke as they followed the older jounin. Naruto spluttered in his spot a little while before he came to his senses. Then he shrugged at Kanna, who had held back to walk with the boy. The two fell in at the end of their group's little line and made their way to their meeting.

When they finally did make to the volumptuos blond's office, she was fuming. She stood at the window behind her desk with arms crossed, tapping her foot. Uh-oh, this meant business.

"Ummm, sorry for being late, Hokage-sama," Sakura started once they were all inside the room. Kakashi perched himself in one of the chairs in front of the woman's desk; Sasuke leaned against the wall; Naruto leaned on the desk; and Sakura took the remaining chair with Kanna sitting at her feet.

"Stop, I have an important mission for you all, and we don't have time for this." Tsunade's hand had raised into the air, commanding silence from the other shinobi.

"First, as I'm sure you all know by now, Sai has transferred from Team Kakashi." Silence fell into her pause, so, getting what she wanted, the woman continued. "Sakura is taking his place. She will now be a permanent member of your team." Naruto's exclamation was stopped short by the stern look from the old woman.

"Now, on to your mission. It seems that a terrible group of bandits is stalking the forests of the Land of Fire. They are ruthless, and have raided many caravans and traveling parties. They leave no survivors. I want you to find them and dispatch with them." She pulled the mission scroll from out of her desk and handed it to Kakashi. "Unfortunately, we know nothing about this group. Size, abilities, nothing. But, I think it consists of some, if not all, rogue shinobi. So, use whatever means necessary to destroy them."

Sakura had rarely heard her former mentor speak so candidly about killing anyone. This group must have killed a lot of people, for her to take such action.

"You're dismissed. I want you gone within the hour. I mean it, Kakashi." She returned to glaring out the window, and the other ninja knew that it was time to leave.

Once outside of the office, they made their plans to meet at the village's gates in an hour. Sakura sped home with Kanna at her heels. She needed to get her supplies, then she had to let Kiba know that she had a mission. Too bad she had to leave so quickly. Guess they wouldn't have time for their usual good-bye this time. Damn.


	8. Of Bloodcovered Sakura Petals

**A/N: Yay, I'm back!! And with an extra long chapter for ya!! I hope you guys like this. I decided it was time to kick things up a notch, and thus is the result. This chapter officially makes the Mature rating of this fic worthwhile. Lots of violence, language, and attempted rape (remember, attempted). Please do enjoy. And, thanks so much to my readers and reviewers. You guys make this so much fun!!**

**I do not own Naruto, or Sakura, or Kiba, or Kakashi...oh you get the picture!**

Becoming Inuzuka

Of Bloodcovered Sakura Petals

It had been about three days since she had been sent on this god-awful mission. It had been three days since she had given her husband a smile and waved goodbye to him as she promised to come back home alive. Why the hell had she done that? Oh, yeah, she couldn't deny her husband anything, and he had practically forced the promise out of her. And, as the days dragged on, and they came closer to their quarry, she wasn't really sure if that promise could be kept.

Every day Sakura and her team found the remnants of attacks by the group that they pursued. This group of bandits attacked without discretion, and they left no survivors. The two times that the team had found anyone still alive, the victims had died within hours of their rescue. And nothing that Sakura did seemed to help. Even a medic of her abilities was not able to undo what these bandits had caused.

The last 'survivor' had been a small child. No more than three years old, and probably the daughter of some food merchant who had been on his way to market to make a living. The little girl's body was covered in wounds; as if a wild animal had tried to devour her tiny body. By the time Sakura had gotten to her, the girl had lost so much blood that she would not survive the wounds. All the medic could do was reach inside the tiny body with her chakra in order to stop the girl's heart from beating. Within minutes the baby was turning cold in the woman's arms.

This last encounter had shaken Sakura to her core. She didn't understand why; she had seen death, even a child's death before, but this time it affected her terribly. Shaking, trying to remain composed in front of her male teammates, the medic lay the child down and made her way into the woods. She needed to get away from that...mess. How could someone kill like that in cold blood?

The girl leaned into a random tree and closed her eyes; willing the nausea to dissipate. Not happening. As soon as her eyes closed, the world dipped and her stomach released whatever remained of her last meal. She leaned at the waist and retched pathetically. If the guys knew about this... Suddenly she heard a twig snap. She whirled around, kunai in hand.

"Sakura." It was a simple word. He had said it so many times before, but this time it was what broke her. The sound of his voice held true emotion and worry; worry for her. At that moment Sakura fell to her knees sobbing, and in a flash Sasuke had his arms around her, comforting her.

If it were not for the fact that the Female Alpha of the Inuzuka clan was in the process of breaking down, she would have stiffened at the unfamiliar sensation of being held intimately by a man who she was sure had always hated her. But, no, she was just too worried about crying over all of the wanton death that had surrounded her recently. Sasuke said nothing, he only held her close and let her cry.

They sat like this for long moments until the woman's sobbing slowed to an occasional hiccup. He released her and sat silently as she dried her face with the hem of her skirt. When she looked back up and realized who had just comforted her, she nearly fainted.

"S-sasuke? What gives?"

He eyed her for a moment, then gave a slow answer.

"I've been thinking a lot lately about how I have always acted toward those who were close to me. I guess, until lately, I never realized how important you, Naruto, and Kakashi actually are to me." He looked down at his feet. Wait, was that a blush that dusted his cheeks? "Sakura, you and Naruto searched for me the whole time that I was gone with Orochimaru. Then, when I came back, you were both there for me. I guess I started noticing how I treated you guys when you met Kiba and your attitude changed." He paused, then sighed heavily. "I guess, I just realized that I need to try to be a human being now that I'm no longer an avenger." With that last line, he spoke wistfully as if thinking of something else. Sakura wasn't buying this explanation.

"I totally blame it on your relationship with Sai. And, don't worry, you're very human. We make mistakes, and that's what makes us so. Those of us who matter love you just the same." Having reassured her one-time crush, and feeling a little better herself, the medic stood and offered the Uchiha her hand. Surprisingly he took it. So... falling in love had given him a better personality after all.

That had happened yesterday, and now Sakura was again near her whit's end. If this group had caused so much damage, how were four shinobi supposed to stop them? She looked to her comrades from her position in the trees. The plan was simple; they would move in slowly and silently from all four corners, picking off as many as possible before they were noticed and the alarm raised. Kakashi had surmised that there were twenty enemy nin of varying ability. So this had just become an S-ranked mission that involved the destruction of several rogue shinobi from all five of the hidden villages.

This had struck Sakura as odd in so many ways. Twenty men marauding around killing everyone in sight was unheard of. It would be too difficult for a group that large to function. Add that to the fact that most of them were missing nin which meant they would not easily take orders from any one. The more and more she thought about it, the more Sakura knew this to be a trap. And they were walking right into it. Oh, and considering that she had not been on a mission in forever, and that she was a medic trained to evade instead of attack, the girl was more than a little on edge.

But, Kakashi had final say in their plan, and he felt that this was their best option. They would move toward the center of the camp silently killing all whom they came across. Then, they would take on the more capable enemies in order to wipe them out quickly. As always, Naruto's Shadow Clones would play an important role in upping the group's numbers during the battle.

Suddenly, there was a soft 'whoosh' as something stirred the leaves to her right. That was the signal, and now she was off to take out some baddies.

All went well as she took out her first two targets by sneaking behind them and slicing their throats. These obviously were mere genin level shinobi, and that was why they had been put on watch. They would not be missed by the higher-ups of the bandits. After pushing her kunai through her second victim's jugular, the kunoichi was just about to head off in search of another target when all hell broke loose. One of them had been spotted, and the alarm was sounded. That was when Sakura saw enemy nin begin to pour out of the woodwork. Kakashi had been wrong. There were definitely more than twenty. Shit.

Sakura moved to find a place to hide, so that she could assess the situation. She wanted to locate her team to see if they needed medical attention. More than likely, Naruto would need a bandaging soon, if not already. As she turned to leap into a tree, she was forcefully pushed to the ground by a very agitated Kanna.

"Sakura, keep your guard up. You are being stalked by one like us," came the pup's voice as she moved into a protective stance above her mistress. Sakura leapt to her feet pulling a kunai and several shuriken from her pouch.

"Ah, so I thought I smelled another Inuzuka. But wait, you aren't, are you? Why do you have a companion?" The voice was low and gravelly. It sounded as if he had been chewing on rocks while smoking huge Cuban cigars and working in an oil field his entire life. Green eyes met a lone red eye. The scar covering his right eye mangled the entire side of his face to the point that his cheek stripe wasn't even visible. "So, does my cousin, Kiba, just give out Inuzuka secrets now?"

The woman looked at the grotesque man in front of her. Yes, he had been of the Inuzuka clan once, and he still wore his Konoha headband, though there was a long horizontal slash through the leaf. He was haggard and unclean, and reeked of anger. The girl's eyes shifted from the man to his canine, and her hackles rose in response. The hound looked as if it had just jumped from the pit of hell. A giant wofhound, he would have towered over Kuromaru, with russet fur and deep crimson eyes stared at Kanna as if he could devour her.

"Answer me, woman! Why do you have this bitch with you? You were not born Inuzuka, though you definitely reek of being mated to one. Explain yourself." The low growl brought her back to her senses. Fire blazed in emerald eyes as she pulled herself into a fighting stance and answered.

"I am Inuzuka Sakura, mate to Kiba and Alpha Female to the Inuzuka clan of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. What say you, a traitor, of _my _clan's ways?"

This obviously was not the answer he had expected, and surprise flitted through the man's lone eye before he replaced it with an angry scowl.

"Well, it seems that my cousin has not taught his bitch her place. Perhaps, I must show you. You will pay for speaking to me like that!"

He lunged toward her with a speed that paralleled Kiba's; he may have been just a split second faster than her husband. Sakura had little time to react, and she let fly the shuriken she held in her left hand before launching herself into a nearby tree. Kanna was close behind after dealing a rather nasty blow to the hellhound's foreleg. Both woman and canine formulated a plan of action, and they communicated via a series of signs that the two had devised during training.

Kanna circled around to the rear of the two, while Sakura created a shadow clone that stood a little ways to her right. Kanna and Sakura both limited the amount of chakra they emitted, and the woman put forth the same amount into her clone. Now, they seemed to be the same person. Sakura went into Beast Mimicry while Kanna transformed to look like Sakura and her clone. Now, they looked alike. It was then, that all three attacked. The plan was half-baked, and the woman knew that it would most likely not work, but she couldn't come up with anything else.

Sure enough, the rogue saw right through her ruse. He was easily able to discern between Sakura and her clone, and he dispatched the fake with no problem. However, while he was destroying the false-medic, the real one was able to get close enough to drive a kunai into his shoulder. But, just as she dodged away, he gripped her by the arm and deposited her flat on the ground. As the enemy brought his other arm in for a punch to the throat, Sakura was able to concentrate chakra into her arms. And before he could make contact, she threw an elbow into his gut that caused him to spray blood across her face.

She sought freedom and nearly won it before she was caught by her hair and hauled against a tree. Her eyes danced wildly as her head impacted the trunk, and she almost lost focus until she sighted her companion pinned on the ground, throat in the jaws of the hellbeast. At this point, the woman felt the man's fist grip around her throat.

"You have the marks of an Inuzuka, and you have a companion. Only those born into the clan can do that." The gravel sounded even more muddled as he coughed sharply on the blood welling up from his injured stomach. "I don't really care how this happened, but I will tell you that you are _no _Inuzuka. You shame the clan's name with your weakness."

Inner Sakura screamed for her to fight back, and she tried. Really, she did. His hand tightened on her throat, and the edges of her vision began to blacken.

The hand that was not holding her throat pulled out a kunai, and it slipped along the fabric of Sakura's shorts. He cut a jagged line up her thigh, not caring that he was cutting skin as well as material.

"And now, I'll make you pay." He leaned in to whisper to her, almost intimately. "I'm going to fuck the life out of you and the whelp that's growing inside of your stomach."

The woman had begun to lose consciousness, even as Inner Sakura was trying to regain awareness. At the man's last words, Inner Sakura's eyes lit with an iridescent green glow. The real Sakura's eyes lit up with the same fire as something began to consume her from the very center of her being. Her body convulsed sharply, digging the kunai into her leg even deeper. Suddenly, an audible pulse sounded from the woman's body.

The man let out a yelp and let her go. Her body had felt like it was on fire, and he looked to his companion for a second. That second was all it took for the girl's body to rise as if being controlled by strings. She was knocked out, so it was obvious that she had no control over her movements at all. What the hell was going on? The man backed away, and his mutt released Kanna in order to join his master.

Kanna crept to her mistress's feet, and touched her nose to the woman's toe. It was the only contact that she dare make, but she knew that Sakura needed her touch right now.

At the contact of nose to skin, both woman and canine were bathed in bright green light. Sakura's chakra had manifested itself outside of her body. It remained as an outline for a brief moment as if charging, then released itself in a brilliant flash that went out like a shockwave knocking down any enemy ninja in its path.

A few minutes later, Kakashi was the first to come to his senses after the blast. He shook his head trying to clear his mind, not really sure what had just happened. He remembered seeing that Sakura was in trouble, and he had been trying to get to her. That nasty Inuzuka rogue and his monster were sure to be more than the girl could handle. Their combined chakra signal had been off the charts, so he had been fighting to get to where she was. He last remembered seeing pink hair pushed against a tree, then...nothing.

He stood, frantically searching for his comrades. Naruto had been easy to find; the boy was complaining loudly about being run over by a bus. Then, the two of them had found Sasuke perched against a tree, still dozing. All three were surprised to see the number of dead enemy shinobi that surrounded them. Surely they hadn't killed all of these men? And surely they all hadn't fallen asleep directly afterward?

The three went in search of their female teammate and her pup, and were shocked at what they found. Beneath the tree that the rogue had pinned her against, lay Sakura curled in a ball with Kanna wrapped around her. They looked as if they were enjoying a nap in the sun on a warm summer day. The sight was ruined by both females' labored breathing and incredibly low chakra. It was a wonder they were alive at all.

"Well, I think we know who killed all of the enemy, now," stated Kakashi as he leaned over the girl, unbottoning two of the pockets of her vest. He pulled out two scrolls.

"What do you mean? Sakura killed all of them?" Asked Naruto, awe thickening his voice.

"I don't know how, but, yeah, this is her doing," Sasuke answered for Kakashi. The silver-haired copy-nin stood and handed one scroll to each of the young men.

"Sasuke, take Sakura to the hospital. Naruto, take Kanna to the Inuzuka's vet clinic. And, remember that this mission is not complete until I get back to the village, so no talking about what happened. Right, Naruto?" He fixed the fox-boy with a glare.

"Sheesh, you'd think I couldn't keep a secret." Before, Kakashi or Sasuke could answer, the blond had spoken the incantation on the the scroll and was gone in a flurry of cherry blossom petals.

"Take care of her, or we'll have an angry Inuzuka as well as an angry Hokage on our asses," Kakashi waved to Sasuke before he and the girl were gone in another storm of sakura petals.


	9. Wake Up, Cherry Blossom

**A/N: I have returned!! So, this one is another bit of a cliffhanger. I don't know why I keep doing that...(snickers behind hand). Anyways, hope you all like. And thanks for the reviews. They are awesome. Oh, and this chapter is a little graphic for a few seconds, so don't forget the rating.**

**I do not own anything dealing with this anime or manga.**

Becoming Inuzuka

Wake Up, Cherry Blossom

Kakashi was in the middle of the task of sorting through the enemy who had been killed only moments ago. There were so many; at least thirty, if not more. How could he have miscalculated so terribly? If he'd have realized in time, he never would have sent his team into this mess. He rolled one ninja over with his toe and was thrown off guard when he saw the symbol on the man's head band. What the hell were Rock shinobi doing working with rogue ninja? And the rogues had come from all of the different Hidden Villages. What was going on here? He needed to get this place cleaned up...fast.

Just then, he heard a rustle in the trees behind him. The elite jounin grabbed for a kunai in his leg-pouch, but he quickly relaxed. Well, about as much as a seasoned shinobi could when in the presence of friends.

"I wondered who she would send as back-up. Welcome Team Guy." The silver-haired man stood to face the new arrivals.

Might Guy and his team jumped down from their various perches and took in the scene around them.

"What happened here?" asked TenTen. Her brown eyes looked at all of the enemy who were lying on the ground. "Did you do all of this?"

Kakashi laughed uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his head in a very Naruto-like manner. "No, I had help. But, I would like to say that I had my hand in taking a few of their lives."

"So, where is the rest of your team?" Neji's calm voice interjected. No matter the situation, Neji always kept his cool, but secretly he was worried. There was no sign of Naruto, and he needed to verify that the blond idiot was okay. If anything happened to the fox-boy, Hinata would go crazy, and Neji did not cherish having to deal with that.

Especially since he would, very soon be more than a cousin to her. As the strongest member of the clan, of both the main and side branches, Neji was duty bound to marry the heir to the Hyuga name. The heir just happened to be Hanabi, Hinata's sister, and they had just announced their engagement. If Hinata were to lose it due to Naruto suffering from an injury, or worse, neither of the Hyuga girls would be able to function. And this would only mean trouble for Neji. Thus, he worried, inadvertently, about Naruto.

"Well, Sakura was injured pretty badly, so Sasuke and Naruto used transportation scrolls to get her back to Konoha quickly," Kakashi sighed in the form of explanation.

"What?! My beautiful Sakura has been injured? I must go to her side at once!" Rock Lee balled his hand into a fist and proceeded to march toward the exit of the clearing. He was promptly bonked atop the head by an angry TenTen.

"When are you going to get it through your head, idiot? She's married!" TenTen continued to scold Lee for a few moments as Guy moved next to his long-time friend and rival. He watched the fiery brunette as he moved. Guy felt terrible for the young girl. She had been secretly in love with Neji for so long, and now he had formally announced his engagement to the Hyuga heiress. The girl had been devastated, but she had not shown it to her teammates. She still practiced daily with them, as well as practicing one-on-one with Neji using her weapons so that he could hone his defensive abilities. However, she often looked at him longingly when she thought no one was looking. It hurt Guy to see any one of his team in such pain, but there was nothing to be done. She would find someone soon enough. Wait...what if TenTen fell for Lee? Now, that would be a match!

"Ummm...Guy, why are you crying? I said that I think she will be alright," came Kakashi's voice. Guy was pulled out of his musings, and he switched to serious mode to hide what he had been thinking.

"Alright, guys, let's clean this place up. Then, we'll head home to report our findings to the Hokage." With that, Team Guy helped Kakashi to bury the dead of the enemy who had been taken out with one swift blow.

xxxxxx

Sakura looked around her. It was dark, and she couldn't smell or hear anything. No, wait, everything was getting brighter.

She was in a forest; a beautiful, lush green forest. The sun was out, but it wasn't bright. It seemed like one of those mid-autumn days when twilight lasted forever. There was no breeze. It was then, that her senses kicked in, and she could feel what was going on.

The rogue shinobi, the one who used to be an Inuzuka, had her pinned against the tree. He was choking her, and she tried to fight back with every fiber of her being. But, he was too strong, and she couldn't find her chakra. It was gone from her body. He pressed her harder against the tree, then he leaned in to whisper lovingly:

"I'm going to fuck the life out of you and the whelp that's growing inside of you."

She waited. She waited to pass out; she waited for her power to return; she waited for...something. But nothing happened. He finished cutting her shorts free, then he freed himself. All the while holding her throat unrelentingly. He entered her with one quick thrust, and pulled out only to push back in even harder. Inside her head, she was fighting, but her body did nothing.

When he finished, he lay her on the ground. His hands moved from her throat and her wrists down her body. She felt sick as the fingers on one hand entered her and probed around. When he pulled them out, they were soaked with his sperm and her blood. He held the fingers close to her eyes, then wiped the blood on her cheek.

"See...that's the blood of your bastard. And now, I'll kill you so that you two can be together in hell." He raised his kunai and moved to plunge it into her stomach. Sakura watched, on the verge of blissful unconsciousness, as the tip found its way into her skin.

When the pain of the sharp knife should have seared through her, Sakura felt her eyes open.

There was movement and yelling. Hands were rolling her onto her side, and she could smell her own tears, sweat, and vomit. She retched over the side of the bed, and then the hands pushed her up so that they could force water into her mouth. After she swallowed as much of the water as she could, the hands let her lay back down. It was then, that the hands moved away, and she felt something cool brush over her face and across her brow. She heard the most wonderful voice while she drifted back into the void.

"Fight your battle, then come back to me. I love you, Pink." Then, there was darkness.

Kiba wiped his wife's face again with the wet cloth. He didn't know what else to do. The kunai that the rogue had cut her with had been poisoned. Even though, Tsunade had been able to pull most of the poison out of her body, Konoha's best medic had not been able to completely stave off its affects. So, now, they just had to wait for what was left of the poison to run its course.

Fortunately, Tsunade had been able to place a chakra barrier around the baby. So he was healthy, and as long as Sakura lived through this, so would the pup.

Kiba smiled softly. _His pup_. He was going to be a father! There was nothing in this world that could have made him happier. Well, maybe finding out in a more traditional manner. You know, not getting called to the hospital with the news that your wife was dying. And, oh yeah, the baby's gonna die to, unless we can figure out what poison the bad guy used.

The Inuzuka had been ready to kill anyone who came across his path at that moment. He blamed Sakura for not knowing about her condition; himself for not realizing; the Hokage for sending her on the mission; her team for not protecting her. It had taken Shino's soft-spoken wisdom to calm him down, and even then, he didn't feel any better. That was, until Uzumaki had offered to spar with him to get some of the anger out. Truth be told, Kiba knew that Naruto was blaming himself for not saving the girl, so he had agreed. That, and everyone knew that that was how those two worked out their problems anyway.

After getting his initial frustration out, Kiba had not left his wife's side once. He had even taken to lying beside her in the bed, much to the dislike of a certain blond Godaime. But, who really cares what that woman thinks?

And in his wife's bed was where the Inuzuka male found himself when she finally woke for good from her feverish sleep.

He had just dozed into a light sleep whenever he noticed her scent change. That lovely aroma of rain-soaked cherry blossoms combined with a wild and free breeze was now tinted with a softness that could only mean that she carried a child. He noticed the new scent every time he breath her in. And, now the fragrance switched from sleep and sickness to one of waking. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed when a dull green eye peeped open.

Sakura opened one eye to take in her surroundings. This little peek was followed by the other, and both eyes rolled dully as she blinked them in the harsh light of the hospital room. It took just a second of waking for her to realize that she was not alone. She closed her eyes again.

"If the Hokage knew you were in my bed, she'd shit a brick." Her voice was low and hoarse from days of disuse as well as all of the vomiting. Kiba snorted.

"You actually think I'm afraid of her. Just let her tell me that I can't comfort..." The Inuzuka male was cut off when his female roused fully and realized where she was. Her arms instinctively wrapped around her middle.

"Oh, my god, what about..." It was Kiba's turn to cut her off.

"The baby's fine. But you could have let a guy know he was going to be a dad," he gave her an accusatory glare.

"I-I didn't know. But, what about..." Once again cut off by her man.

"Kanna is fine, too. Akamaru hasn't left her side. I think he likes her...a lot..."

"What about..."

"Your team is fine, oh and you're okay too. Quit asking so many questions." The brunette stood and stretched for a second before stalking to the door that led into the hallway. He poked his head out the door and spoke to someone quietly, then he returned to the girl's side. Her look was all the question he needed.

"Tsunade wanted to know as soon as you woke up, so I sent a messenger to tell her." He shrugged lightly before climbing into the bed again. "She said she had something to discuss with us."

The Alpha of the Inuzuka clan gripped his mate's wrist and pulled her bodily forward. She protested lightly, but quieted when she realized what was going on. The boy moved her up just enough for him to squeeze in behind her. He then situated her to where she was sitting between his legs and the back of her head was resting on his chest.

"I'm glad you came back to me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't." He whispered softly while nuzzling the scars on her shoulder and neck. Sakura reached up and tousled her hands through his hair. Suddenly, as if turning on a faucet, she burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry for this. Not only did I nearly get killed, but I nearly got your child killed. I'm so, so sorry." The girl cried full on, and nothing her husband could do would sooth her. So, he just held her close, so that she knew he didn't blame her for what had happened.

At that moment, the door burst open, and a very agitated blond medic walked in.

"INUZUKA KIBA. WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?" Tsunade's voice echoed throughout the hospital and out onto the lawn.

"He didn't do anything, Shishou, it was me." Sakura tried to reason with her mentor.

"Sakura, let me tell you something. Medically, you could not have known you were pregnant. The only ones who could have known were those with super senses of smell; only they could have detected the hormone change. You are seriously only a few days pregnant."

"Ah, so that's why Kanna and Kyou both acted so weird when they smelled me that day. But how come Kiba didn't notice?" Her husband's voice piped up sheepishly.

"I..uh..did. I just didn't know that _that_ was what I was smelling. I didn't know _what _it was, but I liked it all the same." He returned to necking his wife.

"Oh, please, you two. Do you want to know what is happening to Sakura or not? I can tell you about this new chakra leeching power."

Both Inuzukas sat up, fully tuned into the Hokage's words.

"So, what is it?" Both asked impatiently.

"Well, to enlighten you about Sakura's condition, I need to tell you about Uchiha Machiko. She was Konoha's first Kunoichi, and she was my grandmother."


	10. Uchiha Machiko

**A/N: Sorry about the delays in updating. Hey, I want to clarify something. The really graphic scene that I described in the last chapter was a hallucination brought on by the poison. It didn't really happen. Hope that clarifies some things. Anyways. This chapter is a bit short, but it has a lot of info in it. I wanted to get this update out to you, but had very limited computer access. Also, I had to research a few names. According to wikipedia, the First Hokage's name is Senju Hashiram, but the Second Hokage does not have a name. I have named the Second, Senju Akira. This chapter is mostly all my imagination, but there is a small bit of spoiler dealing with some of the later chapters of Shippuden. Not really sure which ones, but it's there. Oh, and I love you all!!**

**Don't own a one of 'em. **

Becoming Inuzuka

Uchiha Machiko

"Ehhh," Sakura's voice reached an ungodly high pitch that had her husband covering his ears and whimpering. "You're related to the Uchihas?" The girl wasn't really sure why this baffled her so much, but it was definitely a surprise. Usually when someone of greatness, such as one of the Sannin, was related to one of the great clans, it was common knowledge. And, since she had been so close to the woman for so many years, Sakura could not understand why this would be the first she had ever heard of such a family connection.

Tsunade looked at her former student, vein in forehead positively ready to pop. She continued to glare while crossing her arms over her ample chest. One long red nail tapped her bicep as if waiting.

"Do you want to hear it or not," came a voice full of a calmness that was just barely there. Sakura eeeped and threw her hands over her mouth. Now she had done it, the Godaime was pissed. Much to her relief, Kiba decided to intervene.

"Please, Hokage-sama, continue," he gestured with his hand, an uncharacteristic calm in his voice. He kissed the top of the pink lady's head. "Sakura was just anxious to hear your story." The girl could do nothing but nod in hopes that she had not put her former mentor off of story-telling. The woman took a long slow breath, then began.

The tale that she wove was long and complex, but it was wondrous, nonetheless.

Uchiha Machiko had been a silent partner in the creation of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She was not credited with assisting in its origins, but she was a very important part of what brought the village into being. She was married to Uchiha Madara who was best friend and fiercest rival of Senju Hashirama, who would become the village's First Hokage. Madara and Hashirama were part of a three-man group which included Senju Akira, Hashirama's younger brother. The group later enveloped Machiko as she exhibited her own shinobi abilities. This four-person grouping was the predecessor of the village's current use of four-man battle teams.

After spending many years learning from her three counterparts, Machiko finally gained the ability to utilize her own chakra and began developing her own ninjutsu. This allowed her acceptance as the first Kunoichi in Konoha, and it looked as if the new village would be peaceful and prosperous. However, things changed drastically after Machiko was seriously wounded in battle. The woman, who had very pale lavender hair and fiery pink eyes, nearly died covered in the blood of her enemies after her body sent out a flash of green chakra that killed every enemy in the vicinity.

Madara was beside himself as he cradled his dying wife, and did what any one shinobi would do...He tried to use his own chakra to revive her. Thus, he forced his own chakra into the woman's limp body, and did so until his best friend forced him to release her. Luckily, that desperate step taken by the first Uchiha, was what had saved his love's life.

As it turned out, Machiko had the ability to absorb another's chakra and utilize it in any way necessary. And, when the foreign chakra from her husband had been forced into her, the nearly dead body had used it to heal much of the damage that threatened her life. But, that was not all. She took on some of Madara's traits, as well. Specifically...the Sharingan.

Of course, this upset many of the other Uchihas. The fact that someone not born an Uchiha, though married to one, could possess their most coveted characteristic caused much turmoil. But, with the help of the First Hokage and his brother, the issue was quieted, and most forgot about the problem nearly immediately. All was peaceful...for about five minutes.

Shortly after gaining the Sharingan and learning to master it, Machiko began to notice a difference in her husband. He began ranting about a new use for the Sharingan and how he would obtain it. Soon, he began to mumble in his sleep about dark and sinister things. One night, he spoke during a dream about killing his best friend, then something about stealing his brother's eyes. The next morning, she went to Hashirama and Akira and told them of her worries.

As Madara's insanity progressed, the three people who cared the most for him worried over how to stop him. He had taken to violent outbursts in public, and had even had to be restrained a time or two. Finally, the fateful day came when it was time to confront the maddened Uchiha.

Machiko wanted nothing more than to stand by her husband's side and tell him that she supported him no matter what. But, she could not do that. Her loyalty to the village _had _to outweigh her loyalty to her husband. The man had gone out of his mind, and he had become a threat to the village. Upon being called out by his two closest friends as well as his wife, Madara howled in rage, and called to his followers. Apparently, the man had been planning a coup for some time, and he had even named his followers...the Akatsuki.

The Akatsuki attacked the villagers and drew the fire of the seasoned shinobi, while Hashirama, Akira, and Machiko tried to reach their friend. They wanted to save him from himself. Madara had other plans, and he nearly destroyed the village as he rampaged through it. Finally, the three were able to draw their comrade to Land's End, a waterfall that fed all of the streams near the village and offered them their source of fresh water. At Land's End, a great battle raged between Madara and Hashirama, and it seemed that Madara was just strong enough to defeat the Hokage. As the Uchiha stood over the fallen Senju, about to inflict the final blow, there was a sudden surge of green chakra. It belonged to Machiko. She had sent out her aura in order to save her lifelong friend. And, in doing so, she had saved her husband from the mad man that he had become.

The woman was deeply saddened by the fact that she had been forced to kill her husband. Thus, she had her name stricken from all of the Uchiha family records and moved to the outskirts of the village. Her only visitors were the Senju brothers, particularly Hashirama. As it turned out, he had loved her for most of their lives, but knew that, as long as she was near Madara, he had no chance to receive her love. So, he had been content with being her friend. He supported her through the hardship of losing Madara, and slowly she grew to love him back. She loved him enough to mother his children, though she would not marry him.

The children, a boy and a girl, were given the Senju name, which is unheard of, even today, in unmarried relationships. Machiko's reason for this was that she did not want to curse her children with the Uchiha name. The family carried enough of its own darkness, and she did not want to burden her children with that name. She claimed that the name was never hers to begin with, so her children need not suffer her curse.

Tsunade was interrupted by an obnoxious sniffle as Kiba searched the bedside table for a tissue before his coat sleeve was completely lost to his wife's tears and snot. Sakura wiped her face with the delicate piece of paper that he offered before giving her mentor a level look.

"So...what does a sad story about your grandmother have to do with me? Shouldn't you be telling this to Sasuke?" Tsunade looked at the floor, eyes unfocused for a long moment. It was as if she were weighing her options. She looked up at the couple before her and said softly.

"Uchiha Machiko was not born an Uchiha, she was married into the family. He birth-name was Haruno Machiko."

Sakura nearly fell out of the bed.

"WHAT!" She shrieked as Kiba clamped his hands over his ears once again. Tsunade nodded slowly.

"Haruno Machiko had the same chakra control as you. Her ancestry is actually where I get my precise control from. Machiko also gave you that fiery temper. But, most importantly, she had the same ability to leech chakra as well as expel it when necessary. I would be willing to bet that, with practice, you could absorb enough chakra to refuel yourself numerous times. And, with your healing knowledge, you could be nearly invincible. Machiko was said to have a chakra reserve that rivaled that of Naruto's."

The pink-haired girl gaped. Her mouth worked with so many questions. She just didn't know where to start. Machiko would have been her great-great-grand-something. Why is it that she had never heard of her? As if reading her mind, Kiba spoke up.

"With an ability like this, the Haruno family should be on par with the other great clans. Why is it that this is the first that I've ever heard of Machiko, let alone this power? Why is it that the Haruno family is primarily civilian, if they carry this type of ability?"

"It seems that this power is not like any other Bloodline Trait or clan specialty. Machiko's abilities were the only of such nature ever recorded until Sakura started exhibiting signs. Other than supreme chakra control, the Haruno family were pretty mediocre shinobi, so Machiko's brothers went into the merchant trade as a way to live. One of those brothers is your great-great-grandfather, Sakura." She looked at the girl for a moment, then focused back on Kiba. " With this new knowledge of Sakura's...ummm...accident, we think that the Leeching Ability may be hereditary after all. We need to study Sakura more to grasp all of the implications."

"Ummm...excuse me...do you mind not talking about me as if I don't understand what you're planning?" It was Sakura's turn to move into vein-popping anger. "What if I don't want to be studied?"

"Oh, Sakura, you know what I mean." Tsunade walked to the bed to rest a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We just need to find out the extent of your abilities. So far, all we know is that you have the capacity to kill large numbers of enemies when your body is threatened. But, how far does that ability go, and can you control it enough to keep from harming friends?"

The girl mulled this over, then shook her head.

"So, I'll leave you to get some rest. And, Kiba, I suggest you get going too. You have planning to do." She gave him a knowing look before retreating through the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Demanded Sakura as she felt Kiba shift from behind her. He was in the process of unfolding himself from his place on the bed, when he stopped. Guilt written all over his face, and he didn't know what to say. A hand snaked up to rub the back of his neck, and he began to stutter a lie.

"Inuzuka Kiba! Out with it. Now."

"Oh, come on Pink, please just let it go for now. You'll find out soon enough." The glare he received was icy and promised that the next month with her would be hell. He sighed heavily as he resumed preparing to leave. "Fine. The Village Hidden in the Stones is pissed that you killed so many of their shinobi. Even though _they_ were raiding the countryside with the help of rogue ninja, the Tsuchikage has declared war."

"WHAT!" Sakura jumped up from the bed. "Why am I lying around here, when we should be preparing for battle?"

"Um, Pink, you can't fight."

"Why not...oh yeah, I forgot for a second." Being pregnant was going to take some getting used to. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Get some rest," came a stern voice from the doorway. "I knew that idiot would tell you, and I knew that you would get all excited, so I came back." Tsunade stepped back into the room.

"I told Kiba not to tell you about the war until we knew exactly what was going on, but he just _couldn't _keep that big mouth shut." She shot the dog-boy a look before glancing back at her former student. "You need to rebuild your strength. Just relax here for a few days, then you can go home and join in the preparations.

"But, why can't I go home now?" Another glare toward Kiba, and said dog-boy turned his head to keep from having his eyes burnt out by two lasers.

"Because, you need to rest. Not be ridden until next Tuesday. I know that all the idiot over there can think of is getting you back home and reestablishing dominance, or whatever it is that you Inuzukas do when reunited with your mate. Bottom line is...you need rest, and _he _certainly can't be trusted to make sure that you get it. So, looks like you're stuck here for a few days." With that, the Godaime shot one last glare at an Inuzuka who found the curtain over the only window in the room to be very fascinating, then she left the room for good.

Sakura sat open-mouthed for a short moment. Then she broke the silence.

"She's right, you know, you can't keep your hands off of me long enough for me to get any rest." Kiba snorted loudly.

"Is that a complaint, Princess?" Sakura's face lit up to match her beautifully disheveled hair, and he nearly jumped her regardless of being in the hospital and just having been reprimanded by the Hokage, herself.

Oh well, what was a few days anyway? It would just give him more lost time to make up for.


	11. Bitch

**A/N: This one's a little long and lemon flavored for ya. Hope you enjoy it. Getting very close to a showdown. I can't wait. Anyways, thanks to all who have read and reviewed. Special thanks to _mangfreak007_who has apparently read all three fics in a matter of days and has reviewed _every _chapter. Yay!! Love you all!**

Becoming Inuzuka

Bitch

The next day would prove to be a trying day for Konoha's favorite pink-haired kunoichi. Kiba and Tsunade were both busy with their obligations and planning for the impending attack by the Village Hidden in the Rock. And the girl wanted nothing more than to accompany her husband in this time of desperate need. He was surely facing opposition from the clan's council, especially from that idiot Kumo. But, no, she couldn't help, she was stuck in the hospital under strict orders to relax and get rest. Yeah, like that was going to happen.

Luckily, friends came to visit which allowed her fend off some of her apprehension. Well, that is, when she could get Naruto to slip and tell her about what the village's plans were. Of course that was really hard to do when Sasuke and Kakashi held him to his promise to the Hokage to keep quiet. At this particular moment, there was a lull in conversation, and the young woman was wracking her brain for a way to obtain information. She was a shinobi, damn it, why couldn't she think of any ways to secretly obtain intelligence?

"So, the Hokage told us that you had some information for us...Something that you just recently found out about your family?" Kakashi spoke over the top of his newest installment of the New Icha Icha series. He didn't even look up as he spoke, but his voice claimed the attention of one dark-haired Uchiha as well as one blond Uzumaki. Sakura's head tilted to the side as she contemplated what he could possibly be talking about. Inner Sakura slapped herself on the forehead.

"Oh, about us being related?"

"Who? You and the Old Lady?" Naruto's head turned from staring at Kakashi dumbly to questioning Sakura, then back.

"That's right. Apparently, her grandmother was a Haruno."

"Ehhh!! So that would make you...would make you..." He began counting on his fingers as he figured how far back the relationship went.

"They're distant cousins, Dobe," came Sasuke's bored voice. It seemed that he had returned to his usual brooding, much to Sakura's chagrin. Of course, it could also be from dealing with Naruto on a day to day basis.

"Yeah, something like that..." She proceeded to tell them the story of Uchiha Machiko and her relationships with Konoha's earliest shinobi. Naruto sat on the edge of his seat, as if her words actually produced pictures that created a captivating scene. Kakashi never once looked up from his book, but he also never turned a page. Sasuke remained bored-looking, except when she explained about how Machiko had absorbed the Sharingan from her husband.

"So, how come you don't have the Sharingan?" Sasuke interrupted. Pink eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

"Well, I have a theory, but I'm not really sure." The raven-haired man did not look convinced. "The chakra-absorption ability is hereditary, but I don't think that any abilities learned due to the technique are passed on. But, Shishou still thinks that it is dangerous for me to try to master my new jutsu while I'm pregnant. Who knows what..."

"YOU'RE PREGNANT?!" A shrill voice rung out. After the ringing stopped, and Sakura was able to remove her hands from her ears, she looked at the culprit who was shrinking away sheepishly.

"Uh...sorry, Sakura-chan. It's just that it was such a surprise. No wonder Kiba was so upset about your injuries."

"Well, yeah. Why else would Tsunade-sama keep me locked up in here and strictly forbid you guys from telling me about the war preparations?" If she were not stuck in that stupid hospital bed, she would have given Naruto a good bonk on the head.

Luckily, Sasuke did it for her, "Dobe."

"Aw, man, Sasuke, what was that for?" The blond boy squeaked while rubbing the knot forming on top of his head.

The familiar interaction with her old team was just what Sakura needed, and she suddenly burst out laughing at her friends' antics.

Kakashi raised a thin silver brow and looked up from his book. The two boys halted in their knock-down-drag-out, and all three males just stared at the kunoichi who was nearly falling off of the bed with laughter.

As she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and wrangled her laughs down to a few intermitten snorts, the girl just shook her head and motioned for them to continue with what they were doing. She would never be able to explain how much she missed the old days, and how much she cherished being back on their team.

A few hours later, Sakura had another round of visitors. These were friends who were always there when she needed them, and they had saved her ass almost as many times as her own team.

"Ah...Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. I'm glad to see you guys. How are you?" She sat up straight in the bed and tried not to look as pathetically bored as she actually was. Perhaps, she could get some info from these three about what was going on on the outside.

"Absolutely miserable," spouted Ino as she waddled her way to the nearest chair. The blond had obviously not given birth, yet. And it looked as though she needed to...soon. Sakura had never seen Ino so...angry looking. Was that anger, or was it just pure misery? Sakura could not tell, and all she could hope was that her own pregnancy did not take so much out of her.

The bed-ridden medic looked on as Ino huffed her way into the chair and tried to find a remotely comfortable position to sit in. Chouji, bless him, tried to help sooth his wife, but she only ended up throwing the chair at him before she made her way to sit on the corner of Sakura's bed.

In an attempt to give the mind-control-user a moment to catch her breath, Sakura looked at Shikamaru who was currently leaning against the wall near her door. He slouched very much like Kakashi, and he even had his hands in his pockets. After a moment of scrutiny from sparkling green eyes, the shadow-user sighed and rubbed his neck.

"Tamari sends her best. She wanted to come see you, but she can't leave her daughter for too long yet. The baby is only a few weeks old."

"How is _your _daughter, Shikamaru?" Sakura giggled into her hand. "What was her name again?"

Another sigh from the Nara, and a grumble about troublesome women.

"Her name is Shikara, and she has the most adorable dark brown hair and teal colored eyes." Sakura and Shikamaru both looked at Chouji who had spoken up. The russet-haired shinobi then proceeded to dig through his hip pouch for a moment before retrieving a bag of chips. He opened the bag and began to munch away as all others in the room stared at his nonchalance. Sakura shook her head, then looked around the room.

"Hey, aren't you missing a teammate?"

"No, she's outside. She felt awkward since she doesn't know you very well, so she didn't know if she should come in or not."

"Shika, will you please ask Shana-chan to come in. She's a friend too."

Sakura would never understand the younger kunoichi's reluctance to make friends, but she felt an odd kinship with the girl. She had joined Shikamaru's team about a year ago, when Tsunade had finally decided that the team had mourned Azuma's death for long enough. The Nara heir had moved into position of team leader, and it had become his responsibility to designate who would become the team's fourth member. Shikamaru had been reluctant, but not fully out of laziness. They had been Ino-Shika-Cho for so long, and now they had to add another member. It was unsettling for all three members.

Shana had been a very promising chuunin by this point, and she was well on her way to becoming a jounin in no time at all. Shikamaru asked her to join the team after he managed to be beaten by her in a random game of Goh (_not sure about the spelling?_).

Upon seeing her in battle, Sakura had been severely impressed, and she had known immediately that the girl was exactly what that team needed. She could strategize as well as Shika, and she was just as lazy as him, too. She had Ino's uncompromising temper. And she could pack away melon bread as well as Chouji could pack away the barbecue pork. But her personality wasn't her only impressive feature. In battle, the girl had been downright scary.

She fought with a katana, which was rare for leaf shinobi, and her skills were comparable to that of the late Hayate Gekko's. But that wasn't all. The girl used genjutsu to strike fear into the hearts of her enemies. She would use an illusion technique to make her brown hair and eyes transform into 'flaming hair and blazing eyes'. She would even make it appear as if her sword were ignited. And, sometimes she would create the illusion of fiery wings protruding from her back.

And, the illusion usually worked. When Shana would join a battle, it never failed that more than a few enemy would turn tail and run or surrender easily after catching one glimpse of the fifteen year-old.

Sakura had been impressed with all of the girl's facets, and she could not help but want to get to know her better. It was either that or pure canine curiosity as to how the girl was able to create such a spectacular genjustu at such a young age.

When Shana entered the room, she looked around at her teammates and greeted them all with a nod. Sakura got a slight wave and a low 'Hello, Sakura-san.' Then she informed her team that they really needed to report back to the Hokage for their upcoming duties. And just as Sakura piped up to ask what was going on, she was interrupted by a pig.

"Can it, forehead. You know we can't tell you what's going on, so don't even ask."

"Hey, just because you're stomach's about to explode doesn't mean that you can take it out on me, you Pig!" shouted the medic as her blood pressure soared.

"This is such a drag. Would you two just shut up? Come on, Ino." Shikamaru assisted Chouji in bodily hauling the blond to her feet. As she was escorted from the room, Ino turned and stuck her tongue out at Sakura.

"Just you wait, Forehead, you'll be in my shoes soon enough. Don't come crying to me when you look all fat, and no one appreciates what you're going through."

Sakura crossed her arms and huffed. "Don't worry. I won't. Pig." She ground through clenched teeth. There was no reply, considering that her room was now disturbingly empty.

She looked around glumly and sighed heavily. Well, she was alone again, and now she had to resign herself to waiting for tomorrow.

The next day proved to be more exciting. Sakura got permission to leave the hospital on strict orders from the Hokage to take it easy. The blond kunoichi had looked at one very anxious Inuzuka while explaining that the young woman was in a delicate position, and that she needed to be free from any excitement while in said position.

Sakura had glared back at her former mistress and stated that, while she understood the necessity from a medical standpoint, as a shinobi and a wife, she had an obligation to stand at her husband's side during the upcoming hardships.

This was when Kiba entered the conversation. He assured the hokage that they would follow her orders as closely as possible, and that Sakura would stay out of the upcoming conflict. When the girl had spluttered indignantly at being pushed aside so easily, she was immediately silenced by a stern look from her husband. Then, stern words followed.

"Sakura, this is for your safety as well as our child's. I will have no argument about this." He then turned to leave, and his wife could do nothing but follow. Kiba rarely used her name, and when he did, he meant business. Also, in the two years they had been married, he had never spoken to her like that. Let alone in front of someone else. She didn't know whether she should be shocked or angry.

The couple were silent during their walk home, and the other occupants of the house knew there was turmoil as soon as they entered the house. Sakura headed straight to the bedroom without even checking on Kanna, which meant this was big.

"So...Kuromaru, wanna go for a walk? A long one. Why don't we take the pups with us, too?" The elder dog looked from his mistress to the younger canines snuggled together on the couch, he then looked at the ceiling. Kiba had followed Sakura up the stairs, and that could only mean one thing. A fight, followed by a make up. And he really didn't want to witness that. He stood and moved to the door.

"Let's go, pups. You both need some air and exercise."

"But...Sakura didn't even say hi or ask how I was doing..." pouted Kanna.

"Oh, you'll get plenty of time to see her when we get back. Right now, those two need to work something out." Tsume opened the door and held it for her extended family. "Coming Hana-chan?"

Hana looked up from the book she was reading. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the previous conversation.

"Nope. I'm gonna finish this book; I'm at a really good part."

"Well, suit yourself." Tsume shrugged as she closed the door behind her. That girl was in for one hell of a surprise.

While the rest of the occupants of the house were fleeing the scene, one very angry Sakura almost made it to her bedroom before unleashing her fury on the Inuzuka who was following her.

"How dare you talk to me like that in front of the Hokage. I should have just punched you in the face right there..."

"If that will make you feel better, please punch away." Her shocked gaping silence drew him into an explanation for his words.

"Pink, you need to keep yourself in check. Before, you never had to worry about what your actions did to your body, but now you do. And I know that your sense of duty to Konoha and our clan has not allowed you to completely take stock in your condition." The pink-haired medic slumped to sitting on the foot of the bed. Being pregnant was really going to take some getting used to, and apparently Kiba had it in his head that she was not going to do anything...at all..while she carried their child.

"Now..." he purred, which caused the girl to whip her head in his direction. She found herself looking at her gloriously naked husband. "I have every intention of following the Hokage's orders...all except for one." He said these words while stalking predatorially toward the bed. Sakura 'eeped' at the raw sexuality that the man before her exuded.

"W-what would that be?" She tried to ask sexily, but the shaking in her voice gave away her excitement and nervousness. Why was she nervous? They had been together so many times before, but he had never looked at her like this before. The amount of unadulterated lust that shone in his golden eyes was scary. He looked like he could devour her...and that was probably exactly what he planned.

"Well, Pink, I do intend to give you a little excitement tonight. A couple of times." He had finally reached the bed, and as he said the last few words, he leaned in to capture her mouth in a searing deep kiss. Sakura's head swam with emotion. She could not keep the lust that was pooling in her core from taking over her body. In an act of desperation, she threw herself toward the man who was leaning over her, arms wrapping around him, pulling her body closer to his.

He chuckled deeply causing vibrations to run through her body. "Did ya miss me, Pink?"

"You have no idea.." Was her response as she hurriedly rid herself of the t-shirt and jeans that she had worn home from the hospital.

"Whoa...what's the rush? We've got forever, right?" Kiba's deep rumble filled the room as he gripped her hands to keep her from removing her panties. Of course, she had foregone the bra for the return trip from the clinic. After all, a girl needs to be comfortable after spending the better part of a week in a coma.

Still holding his wife's wrists, Kiba stepped back to look at her. Though she had not been as active as she once had been, the woman still had the subtle curves that he loved so much about her. After giving her body a once-over, he licked his lips and moved to pay attention to her breasts, but he saw something green out of the corner of his eye which caught his attention. He looked up at her and gave a positively toothy grin at the vision.

The girl stood there in all her glory looking completely...dumbfounded. Her pink tresses were mussed from their intense kisses, and her eyes were a deep velvety green. She was completely consumed by her desire for him. And, if he knew his wife at all, he would have to give her what she wanted very soon, or she would take it...violently.

The brunette bypassed teasing his wife for the moment in order to pick her up and place her on the bed. Her body sprawled across the blanket in anticipation for what was to come, but he couldn't give it to her just yet. He, after all, was playful by nature, so he wanted to tease her just a bit.

Kiba captured the woman's mouth in one of his patented breath-defying kisses. And when he had her panting with need, he moved the kisses down. Kissing her neck, spending time on the scars that sealed their love, licking her collarbone, nuzzling each breast and suckling at each nipple. Once he had kissed each inch of her upper body, he extended the attention downward, blazing a tail down her stomach across her bellybutton to the crescent-shaped clan marking that had recently appeared below her navel. Giving the moon-shaped stripe a slow lick, he revelled in the quivering and whining that came from the object of his affection. It wouldn't be too long before she was begging him to give her what she craved.

The Alpha male resumed his wet kisses and trailed them across her panty-line before removing the garment all together. Upon removing the lacy purple scrap of material, Kiba dragged his body back up Sakura's, making sure to move slowly causing her agony all the way. Once he was eye level with the woman and was gazing at her smouldering green eyes, he reached between her legs in order to feel her moisture.

"I can smell you, Pink. You're ready for me, aren't you?" All the woman could do was let out a low whimper and nod her head.

At her acquiescence, he moved his wife's legs to where they were spread enough to give him access. Then, in one quick thrust, he had sheathed himself in the woman's soft heat.

"Oh, I missed you so much, my Bitch."

Sakura's body tensed at the word, and it became difficult for him to push inside of her again.

_What the fuck did he just call us? _cried Inner Sakura. The girl glared inwardly.

_You are such an idiot. Remember who this is and what we've read. It's an honor for a non-Inuzuka woman to be claimed as an Alpha's bitch. So just shut up and enjoy the ride._

_Fine, but only if he gives us the chance to dominate later. _The girl nodded in agreement. Having calmed her inner self, the pink-haired woman let out a breath and relaxed her body. She looked up at the man on top of her; the man who had been waiting patiently for her to finish her inner argument.

"Say it again..." She whispered. Kiba smiled cockily at her. He had forgotten how much it turned her on to be claimed. He had never called her his bitch because he didn't think she would understand what the term meant to him, but apparently he had misunderstood her instead. He leaned in to her ear, close enough to whisper. His words ghosted across her, causing her breath to catch.

"_My_ bitch."

He was rewarded with a thick wetness that pooled around his groin as she instantaneously climaxed. What? He could usually bring the girl to fruition pretty easily, but this took the cake. Needed to ask her about it later.

As Sakura road out the intensity of her high, Kiba continued to move in and out of her making her cry out even more. Once the ecstasy ended for the girl and she looked up at him softly with loving eyes, he leaned in for another kiss while picking up the pace of his movements.

He buried his face in her neck and lapped at her scars. These were a source of deep excitement for the man, and Sakura would never understand it, but they just seemed to turn him on so much. Needed to ask him about that later.

Upon breathing her scent in so deeply, Kiba's rhythm changed drastically, and his movements became erratic. It was almost as if her scent had driven him to his peak. Sakura held onto him tightly as he pistoned into her body with driving force and tried not to cry out when she felt his teeth dig into her shoulder. Soon her was growling into her neck, sending vibrations throughout her body. And the intensity of his orgasm shook them both as he pushed into her one last time.

After a few minutes of panting and trying to catch both of their breaths, Kiba rolled off of the woman's form onto his side. He leaned in to kiss her forehead, and she placed her hand on his chest. She could still feel the wild beating of his heart.

"Why so intense this time, Kitten?"

"Well. I've always loved your scent, but now. I don't know. It's just something about the way you smell right now, with the little runt inside of you." He moved his hand to cup her stomach. "It's just so...delicious. I can't get enough." As if on cue, his erection pulsed and bumped the woman's thigh.

"Oh, what am I gonna do with you, Kitten?" Sakura cried out in mock shock at the thought of him being ready to go again so soon. Well, he was a dog-boy, after all, what did she expect?

As the sounds of another round of lovemaking filled the house, Hana looked up at the ceiling, then she looked at her companions who had taken advantage of the near emptiness of the house by sprawling across the furniture. The triplet hounds had chosen Hana as their mistress in a fluke that rarely occurred. All three pups had latched on to her: one on each hand and one on her left ankle; and since they were triplets, their chakras were similar. Hana's body reacted well to all three. Thus, at the age of five, the brunette had become the loving tamer of three wolf-hound puppies.

She sighed heavily, then closed her book. She should have known better than to try to stay at home on the night of Sakura's homecoming.

"Come on, you three. Maybe Kakashi'll let us stay at his place tonight." She tried not to blush at what may happen if she asked to stay there, but at least she wouldn't be listening to the world's most in-love couple as they rekindled their fire.

**A/N: The anime reference this time was S_hakugan no Shana. _If you've never seen it, I definitely recommend it. Shana is so cool when she goes into 'flame haze' mode. That's where the 'flaming hair, blazing eye" thing came from.**


	12. The Calm

**A/N: Okay, so lots of apologies here. Sorry for taking so long in updating, but it has been a bitch lately to get on a computer. Also, the length of this chapter sucks, but I had to stop it here for timing. Anyways, hopefully the next chapter will make up for the suckness of this one. Be ready for a climactic battle in the near future. Anyways, loves to my reader and cookies to my reviewers. Oh, and I did some editing on the last chapter. Didn't change much with the plot, but made me feel a little better about the content.**

**And, since I haven't said it in awhile... I don't own these peoples, I just like to play with them a little.**

Becoming Inuzuka

The Calm

Sakura woke with a start in the wee hours of the morning. Had she just heard a light tapping on the window? She looked to the lump that was supposed to be her husband and saw that he had not stirred. Then, the woman looked to the foot of the bed where two other lumps signified that their bed-companions were still asleep.

Kiba had always been adamant about not letting the hounds sleep in their bed, but emerald, violet, and chocolate puppy eyes had swayed him easily. Or, maybe he was just too exhausted from reuniting with Sakura to protest. Anyways, Sakura had felt awful about not speaking to Kanna when she had come home, especially since she had not seen the pup since they had both been injured over a week prior. Thus she begged the dominant male of the house to let the pup sleep with them. And, if Kanna got to sleep in the bed, so too did Akamaru. And, this was how they ended up crammed together in the master bedroom.

The knocking came again; this time louder and more urgent. The hot male body next to her stirred and groaned, and dog-ears flicked toward the noise. Yup, someone was definitely knocking on the window. The woman stood and stretched while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stumbled to the window and opened the curtain. Upon seeing who was waiting, the woman told the others to wake and threw the pane open.

"Anbu. What's happened?" The young man was perched lightly on the outer ledge of the sill and gave a slight wave at the acknowledgement that he had an important message.

"Inuzuka-san. Enemy shinobi have been sighted. The Hokage has placed the village on high alert and has begun the evacuation procedure. You are to get to your post promptly." Then a puff of smoke and...nothing.

In a flash, Kiba was up and helping Sakura with her chest bindings. He looked to the two canines and spoke.

"Go tell mother and Kuromaru what has happened. Mom knows what her role is, and she will need to leave immediately." He tied off his wife's last binding and began to dig out his own shinobi uniform. "Damn, I wish Hana had stayed home. She needs to help mom with the evacuation of the council." A calm, sturdy hand landed on his shoulder as he pulled on a shoe.

"If she's where I think she is, the message got to her before it got to us." He looked at her, confused.

"What's that mean? How could she possibly know...wait, she's with a high level jounin, somewhere, isn't she? They're the only ones who would know the situation before the clan leaders... What's with the sly grin?"

"I can't tell. But don't worry. She'll let you know soon. I think they're both really serious." Kiba looked at her silenced by this new revelation, his final shoe halfway on his foot. Then he shook himself and set to getting dressed with much resolve. After a moment, he spoke again.

"You know I'm not going to let you fight." There it was. That serious voice again, and twice in one night. Well, at least he didn't call her 'Sakura' this time.

"I know, but I _am _a shinobi after all. I must look the part, right?" She stated while she tied her head band across her forehead. She walked up behind the tall brunette and affixed his headband on his brow before leaning on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "I know it's my duty to help with the evacuation, so that's what I'll do. No arguments, this time."

"Good. Let's go." The two pushed themselves out of the bedroom window and took to the rooftops. Within minutes, their companions had joined them, and they headed toward Hokage mountain. Sakura dreaded the fact that she would be left behind like some helpless _girl_ while her friends and loved ones fought desperately to protect everything they held dear.

Her thoughts were adrift when they finally reached their destination. High up on the mountain, just beneath the likenesses of past and present leaders of Konoha, were perched several structures that were linked by an intricate maze of passageways inside the mountain. These small buildings held the civilians of the village, and this was where Sakura was doomed to wait out the oncoming battle. From this vantage point, she wouldn't even be able to see what was going on hundreds of feet below.

When the couple went to enter the room that was to be Sakura's, she was surpised to be knocked against the wall as Chouji rushed past her on his way to his post.

"Uh, sorry, Sakura-chan," he tried weakly as he helped the medic straighten herself out.

"No prob, Chouji. Hey, what's wrong?" She was suddenly very worried for her friend. The man seemed distraught about something. His eyes were glassy with worry, which was new for the carefree red-head who always proclaimed that 'chubbies rule' with so much excitement.

"Well, you see." He fidgeted slightly. "It's just that, I have to finish making arrangements within the Akamichi compound, and I... Well, I have a duty, and I..."

"Ino's pissed about being left out of the last minute battle plans, isn't she?" Duh. The poor guy was going to be a father, like, any second, and here he was going off to battle. A battle that Sakura had done very well at provoking. Boy did she feel like a useless tool at this moment. "Can't say that I blame her. At least _she _got to be involved in some of the planning." The woman shot a kunai-filled glare at her husband who looked just as antsy as Chouji.

"Ummm, well, take care of her for me. Please, Sakura." The woman saluted and promised that the blond would be in good hands. With that, the Akamichi leader headed down the corridor.

"I guess I should be going too," Kiba rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Sakura gripped said hand and pulled her man down to eye level.

"You'd better come back to me...alive." The threat was punctuated by a long, hard kiss that only broke when the two felt two very uncomfortable presences standing near them.

"Good," said Kiba when he saw that their audience consisted of two of his cousins. "Yuki-kun, Mika-chan, I'm leaving her in your care. Do not let her out of your sight." Sakura realized that the man was speaking of her as if she were a naughty child and raised a finger to jab him in the chest. Just as her rant was about to begin, and just as Inner-Sakura prepared to let loose with a flurry of expletives, her words were lost and her hand fell limply to her side.

The expression on Kiba's face spoke volumes. It held all of the weight of his station as an Inuzuka and what his duty was, as well as all of the hurt that he felt for having to leave her there. The Alpha Female of the Inuzuka clan had no choice but to concede to her mate's will. She would do anything at that moment, if he would just stop looking at her like that.

"I'll be fine, Kitten. Our cousins will take care of me. Please go." She raised a hand to brush the stripe on his left cheek, and followed that with a light kiss. Then, she turned to enter the room that would be her bastion from the war that was about to be waged. Looking over her shoulder, she gave a cheeky grin. "Just kill as many of those bastards as you can."

"You've got it, babe," he replied with a wink. Then, he was gone.

Sakura was left standing in the hallway staring blankly at two very awkwardly anxious cousins.

"Ummm, Sakura-san?" Came the timid voice of the cute little strawberry blood named Mika. Her companion was not the token wolf-hound that most Inuzukas had, but a pug that resembled Pakkun. "Would you like to go inside and wait?"

"Actually, I would much rather be out there. I would rather fight alongside my lover and friends, as opposed to rot in this place and not know what's happening." Was Sakura's bitter reply. Both of the younger shinobi went pale at her words. The woman looked at the two for a long moment, then let out a ragged sigh.

"Come on. It's not going to help brooding out here." The two brightened at the change of atmosphere and agreed quickly. "At least we can try to make things easier on the people who _really _don't know what's going on." The two nodded as they followed Sakura into the room.

The two Inuzuka youths took up posts alongside the door. Sakura was impressed that the two had taken up guard posts, and that they took their jobs seriously. Even when civilians tried to swarm the two with questions, they fended the hoards off lightly while keeping their senses open to what was happening on the other side of the door.

Upon immediately walking into the room, a very loud and whiny voice met her sensitive ears, and the woman cringed at what she thought would be an assault. It never came. Then, Sakura relaxed her body and opened an eye to see that her long-time friend and rival was sitting in a corner of the room...in tears. What? Ino didn't cry, ever.

The pink-haired woman made her way to the very round woman and questioned the younger kunoichi who was trying to sooth her. The young Akamichi cousin replied that Ino-san was upset over being left out of the battle, and that she hadn't wanted Chouji-san to leave. Well, knowing that she was probably the only person in the room who felt the same way, Sakura knew it was time to do damage control. With that, she relieved the girl of her duty and wrapped herself as well as possible around the shaking form that was Akamichi Ino.

"Shhh...Ino-chan. I'm here now. Everything's okay." Sakura shushed in a soft tone. All the while using her heightened senses and chakra to check the pregnant woman's vital signs. Her blood pressure was through the roof, and if something wasn't done soon, there could be problems.

"It's just that," Ino sobbed out, hiccuping the whole time, "I can't keep an eye on that chubby bastard if I'm stuck in here." Big tears rolled from her eyes down her cheeks, and Sakura dug out a tissue so that the girl could wipe the snot from her nose before it dripped onto her lip.

"I know. I wish I could be out there with Kiba, but we both know that we can't." Ino sighed and hiccuped once more as she took the cup of water offered by her Akamichi attendant. "Besides...at least you got to know some of what was happening." Sakura couldn't help but add, just to show how left out she had felt.

"Oh, don't start, Forehead. You know that we couldn't say anything because of how delicate your situation was..."

"Delicate my ass, Pig," Sakura snorted. "If they would let you in on things with as far along as you were..."

"I hadn't just come out of a life-threatening coma, you idiot." Ino's pitch bordered on wailing. Sakura clamped her hands over her ears, as did the other two canine-trainers in the room.

"Okay, okay. I get it. For my own good. Please calm down." They returned to their 'friend' faces and the tension in the room dissipated.

"So, what's really happening out there?" Asked Sakura after a few moments, once she had settled in next to the blond.

"Seriously? I have no idea. They started leaving me in the dark a few days ago." Sakura rolled her eyes and sniffed indignantly. "No, really. When they started hearing about how close the enemy were to Konoha, they started making me stay home. I tried to get something out of Cho, but he wouldn't tell me anything... Sakura, I'm really worried."

Sakura placed her hand over her friend's and gave her a light grin.

"Don't worry. They'll be alright." Her smile didn't reach her eyes, and neither woman felt reassured.


	13. The Storm

**A/N: Yay!! I got my computer back!! Maybe I can actually get back to a remotely normal posting schedule. Anyways, this chapter was kind of a lead in for the next one. Lots of excitement building. Enjoy!! And thanks again to all of you who read. And pie to all of you who review. It's nice to know that so many enjoy my writing.**

**Again, I do not own Naruto or his orange sweat suit. But, I do own a red one that looks exactly like it. Okay...maybe not...**

Becoming Inuzuka

The Storm

Sakura sat on a small wooden chair next to Ino watching the play of the sun as it filtered through the narrow window slits near the roof of the small enclosure that had become their haven. She knew that there was no way for her to get near enough to said slits in order to attempt a glimpse at what was happening in the village bellow them, let alone actually being able to see out of the crack-like windows had she been able to get to them. She looked around the room at the sleeping forms of the other women and children who had been doomed to wait out the inevitable in this little hole. Man, she needed something to do to keep her head clear, but with a snoring, drooling, very pregnant Ino practically lying in her lap, there wasn't much to do other than think.

And think, she did. She knew that the battle was surely under way by now. The Rock ninja would have attacked just at dawn, hoping to catch Konoha off guard, but they were in for a real surprise, if they expected to catch any Leaf shinobi with his or her pants down. Naruto had probably run head-long into the fray, bellowing to all who could hear that he was going to be Hokage someday and that he wanted to fight their toughest ninja. Sasuke would be grumbling about how stupid Naruto is, but he would be right there backing up everything the blond did and said. As would Kakashi...As would the rest of the elite warriors of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

But, the girl was not worried about her friends. She was not even worried about Kiba and his team. She could imagine a giant two-headed white dog ripping into any enemy he could find while being surrounded by Shino's destruction bugs. Hinata and Sai would be nearby to take out the stragglers with both Gentle Fist as well as Demon Art. No, she didn't worry about those she held so dear. Instead, she worried for the very people with whom she waited.

The longer the battle waged, the more likely it was that the enemy would infiltrate the village. And considering that she and the civilians of the town were holed up in the depths of a mountain, shinobi who could manipulate stone were indeed something to be nervous about.

Sakura tried to focus on a plan of action; what she could do if the enemy were able to reach the inner sanctum. However, her brain would not cooperate. It was trying to formulate other plans. Plans that would involve the pink-haired medic leaving her post. And that just wouldn't do. But no matter how hard she tried to keep her mind to task, her thoughts always returned to a particular inkling which may be the key to their survival. Finally, after fighting with herself for several moments, she decided she just couldn't leave well enough alone. She just _had_ to get out there and _do _something. Granted, Ino would be pissed, and then there would be her lover to deal with, but... Oh, fuck it, she had to go...now.

Slowly shifting Ino to where she was leaned against Akamichi Siu, her attendant, who was sitting to the woman's left, Sakura stood. Ino grumbled softly but did not wake. Whew, there was no way the medic wanted to deal with a bitchy, whiny Ino right now. The Inuzuka tip-toed her way to the door where her two cousins and their companions stood. Kanna padded behind softly, and came up to sniff the two male canines as her mistress spoke to their humans.

"Yuki-kun, Mika-chan, you're doing so well watching the door." Perhaps a little flattery would soften the two. "But don't you wonder what's going on out there? I could, you know, pop outside for a peek and come right back to fill you in." She smiled her sweetest smile possible, but the two weren't buying it.

Yuki crossed his arms and eyed her angrily.

"We are not to allow anyone to go, nor are we to allow anyone in who does not have proper clearance. We will not abandon our mission."

"Please go back to your seat and try to rest ma'am." Came Mika's soft plea. Okay, so it was time for a new tac. Sakura looked from one Inuzuka to the other.

_Can't believe these little mutts think they can tell us what to do_... Grumbled Inner Sakura.

"What if they need my medical skills?" The elder kunoichi blurted. **"**I _am _the second best medic-nin in the village. Who knows how many wounded and dying shinobi I could help."

_Way to go, girl! That's pretty low, even for us. They'll just have to let us go now. _Inner Sakura waved a little flag in celebration at besting the two. But, her partying was cut short.

"Sakura-san, we cannot let you leave. Kiba-sama has left you in our care, and we do not intend on shirking our duties." Mika's voice grew a little sturdier.

"We will use force, if we have to." Yuki glared a look that could have almost shamed the Hokage...almost. But Sakura had put years of study into piercing stares, and she fixed the insolent pup with one of those perfected looks.

"Listen here, you little shit!" Sakura's finger flew into position, pointing right at the youth's chest. "I will not have you tell me what I can and cannot do."

"But...Our mission..." Mika interjected weakly. Their mistress whirled on the girl.

"I may not have been born an Inuzuka, but I know the laws of our pack." Sakura's voice was dangerously low, and the kids' companions slunk behind their legs in fear. "I am the mate to the Alpha, making me Alpha Bitch and Mother to all Inuzukas. In our clan, I am equal in all things with Kiba, including rank and military status. Also, I am an elite jounin of the Leaf Village. And, right now, I am not only the ranking shinobi in the room, but I am also the ranking Inuzuka." Her head whipped back to Yuki. "You, young man, need to learn some manners toward your superiors." At the sound of Mika's whimper, the pink head turned once more. "And you, little girl, need to grow a backbone. You're an Inuzuka, not a Hyuuga, so act like one."

Suddenly, Sakura's rant cut off. The youths stared at her in disbelief. They had just been royally reamed by one of the heads of their clan. Their parents were going to be so pissed. They stood looking at the rosette form, wondering when her verbal assault would resume. Both of their heads cocked to the side when they saw her eyes widen and her nostrils flare as she sniffed the air.

"Umm...Sakura-sama..?" Came Yuki's startled voice. Suddenly Sakura sprang into action.

"Mika, what team is in charge of this corridor?" The girl looked at the woman warily, then answered.

"Ummm, that's Team Ebisu. Why?" When Sakura visibly relaxed, the two pups looked even more confused.

"That's great. Moegi is a very accomplished medic, and we'll need her skills." She took the girl by the shoulders. "Please, go find them and ask Moegi to come here. We will be in dire need of her abilities very soon." Not wanting to risk another attack from her mistress, the girl turned and practically ran down the hallway, pup at her heels.

Sakura turned her attention to the silent boy standing between her and the door.

"You see the fat Pig behind me?" He looked in the direction to where she had thrust her thumb.

"Akamichi-san?"

"Yeah, well, she's about to go into labor. Her hormones have changed rapidly, and her heartbeat is speeding up. Can't you smell or hear it?" She waited patiently as the boy sniffed in Ino's general direction. Then, after a split second of intent listening, the child's eyes widened. "What I need you to do is wake up her nurse, then stay as close to Ino as possible."

The boy looked at her again, visibly rattled. "Why?"

"When the contractions start, she's going to need someone to take it out on." A dirty glare from the boy was enough to set her off once again.

"As ranking member of our clan, I am changing your mission's details to consist of assisting in the delivery of the Akamichi child. If anything happens to that baby or its mother, consider it the end of your life." Dark eyes glistened defiantly. "And if I have to, I will take this to my husband, and you will be dealt with accordingly. Believe me, you don't want that." That was the clincher, the kid didn't want to have to be on the receiving end of his cousin's wrath, so he reluctantly began making his way toward Ino. Grumbling the whole way about how Kiba could deal with such a bossy woman.

Sakura took this opportunity to slip out of the door and move down the corridor.

As an earsplitting screech signaled Ino's first contraction was followed by a sharp yip from Yuki who had just nearly had his hand crushed, Sakura silently thanked her friend for unconsciously helping her out.

The woman with the pink locks made her way through the maze of hallways and down endless stairs until she came to the one exit that would lead to her freedom. The door was guarded by two shinobi on both the inside and outside. This was not going to be easy. She would have to use genjutsu, which she really didn't want. Yeah, she was good at genjutsu detection, but she had only mastered a few of the techniques. At this particular moment, she wished that she had opted for learning more of the hypnosis techniques that came so naturally as opposed to focusing so much on medical ninjutsu. At least, she knew one technique that would get her out of this situation.

Hiding behind a corner, she formed the necessary hand signs and cast the spell that would make her invisible to the guards. Hopefully, the guards would think that the opening door was a result of the wind, and the amount of time it would take for them to figure it out would be enough for her to escape.

She stepped around the corner and walked toward the guards. They were medium level chuunin that she didn't know. Hopefully, they wouldn't catch on to her technique. As she walked passed the two and placed her hand on the doorknob, she realize that she may just get away with this after all. Suddenly, the door burst open, and a frightened looking shinobi ran in followed by her partner. These must have been the two who were guarding the outside.

"Come on, you two. Our orders have changed." Yelled the first to enter over her shoulder. "Things don't look good. They've ordered for us to move further into the corridor system to guard the civilians." As the four rounded the corner, Sakrua heard the girl explain that Konoha's forces had been forced to fall back some, and they may not hold for much longer.

Sakura's heart plummeted. She needed to get out there, now. Releasing the genjutsu, the medic hauled the door open and stepped out into the early morning light. The brightness forced the woman to shield her eyes momentarily. She looked toward the town and scanned the skyline for signs of battle.

The signs were everywhere. Smoke plumed, and explosions sounded. Rocks were flying everywhere. The sounds of weapons clashing as well as the angry voices of those locked in battle rang out from all corners. And, in some places, Sakura could hear the anguished screams of dying shinobi from both sides.

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes, and she nearly turned to go back into the safety of the mountainside when something white flashed and caught her eye.

Looking across the village's outline again, she noticed a giant two-headed white dog gnashing its way through a group of enemy ninja. Kiba and Akamaru had joined their bodies in order to fight for their home, and Sakura at that moment wanted nothing more than to go to them to help. Her body involuntarily took a step in that direction.

She couldn't and she knew it. Just like she knew she couldn't run back into the mountain and hide like a coward. No, their only hope was for her to enact her plan. And to do that, she needed Naruto and Sasuke.

The woman stood for another brief second before steeling herself. She took a long deep breath then burst into a dead run toward the one location where she knew she would find her team.

They would be in the fray, fighting the strongest of their enemies. They would be with the Hokage, trying to prove themselves to her and the village. They would be near the entrance gates to the village. The one place that had welcomed both boys home when they needed to be accepted. And this was to be the place where their team would put a stop to this invading menace.


	14. Tempest

**A/N: Ah, it's me again. This chapter is so long, but I love it. I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope that you enjoy reading it. Anyways, have fun. And, just know that the end is in sight.**

**I don't own Naruto at all, and I would probably still sell Sasuke on Ebay if he were mine. Definitely not Kakashi, though.**

Becoming Inuzuka

Tempest

Sakura took off in a headlong charge toward the location at which she knew her teammates would be. As she did so, what would have been a light spring breeze ruffled through her hair. It picked up her scent and mixed it along with the various smells of destruction that surrounded her and spirited them away.

Those smells were carried to the most unlikely of creature. A giant two-headed white wolf-hound was rampaging its way through the junction of streets that led to both the Inuzuka and Aburame compounds. And, as the crisp breeze tried to flutter its way through the damage of the raging war, a nose picked out the peculiar fragrance of the softened edge of rain-soaked cherry blossoms mixed with something wild and free. The nose sniffed more thoroughly as the head that owned it whipped toward the breeze's upwind direction. The other head finished chomping its unhappy victim and sniffed the air as well. Suddenly, the hound pulsed and poofed into a cloud of smoke.

Kiba looked to Akamaru, now that they were separated. The dog had a sad look in his eye. Yup, he had scented her too. He yelled to his team over his shoulder.

"Sorry, guys, but Sakura's snuck out of her hiding place. I have to go find her." Without any more discussion, he and his companion darted in the direction of the girl's scent.

Shino looked to his remaining teammates, who both looked as though they wanted to follow Kiba's example and find their own spouses, and shook his head. They were going to comply with their mission, and that was final. He would allow Kiba _some _leeway, considering that Sakura was carrying his child. Come on, he wasn't a complete bastard all the time. Just most of the time. Anyways, he understood the Inuzuka, and knew that he would act the same way if it were his own wife acting so foolishly.

The pink-haired mother-to-be had no idea that she was being followed as she tore her way through town. All that was on her mind was finding Naruto and Sasuke and conning them into following her half-baked plan. Yeah, it really was half-baked. She still had no idea to what extent she could use her new powers. Hell, she had no idea if she could even call on them at will. But, it was too late to wuss out now. So she kept running; urging a little chakra into her feet to gain some momentum.

After running for what seemed like hours, and dodging God-knew-how-many badguys, Sakura finally found her boys. Naruto was taking on three enemy shinobi all by himself, well only if you didn't count the two shadow clones as anyone. And Sasuke had taken on this burly guy who was no match for the Sharingan-user.

Actually, from what the girl could tell, most of the ninja who had accompanied the Rock invasion were of mediocre ability. The problem was that there were just so many, and they all seemed to absolutely hate the Leaf Village for one reason or another. A combination of the sheer numbers as well as their pure hatred was what had made the invasion force any match for the Leaf Ninja. And, as Sakura watched from the shadow of a blown-up building, for every one enemy that was killed, two took his place. This was pushing the Leaf shinobi to their breaking point, and many had fallen back to regroup and rebuild chakra. This was bad.

Sakura looked on as Sasuke finally took down his enemy without even cracking open the Sharingan. He stood for a moment cleaning the blade of his kunai before he looked up in search of another man to kill. This was the woman's chance. She lunged from her hiding place and ran toward the Uchiha. Before the raven-haired boy even knew what hit him, the woman had pulled him aside and pinned him against a wall.

"Sakura, what the hell..." The girl's hand, shaking from fear and excitement, covered his mouth.

"Shhh...Sasuke, just wait until Naruto is finished, then I'll tell you what's going on."

"Aren't you supposed to be in the mountain? Kiba's gonna be so pissed..." He paused at the glare coming from his friend that said 'shut it now or you die'. He clammed up rather nicely.

"Just wait, I need you and Naruto to help me stop this stupid invasion." His brow arched. How were they going to stop the war? "I know it sounds unbelievable, but I have a plan."

He shrugged. Fine by him. Anything that may put a stop to this idiocy was worth a try. So, he resigned to wait for the dobe to finish playing with his toys. And, as if on cue, the fox-boy used a clone to slide a kunai through his last opponent's belly. Just as he was about to jump triumphantly into the air and boast to his rival about killing all three of his enemies, he noticed that Sasuke was no longer at his side.

He squinted his eyes and looked around, afraid that something may have happened. That was when he sighted Sakura waving from the shadow of a ruined shop. What the hell was Sakura doing out here? And was that Sasuke with her? Naruto jogged over to where the two stood.

"Don't you guys know that Konoha's been invaded? Now's not the time...oof." He rubbed his newly bruised head as Sakura did her best not to come completely unglued.

"Just shut up, you idiot. Do you want to save the village or not!" She all but screamed to the blond boy. Naruto looked at Sasuke, not really sure what was wrong with the girl.

"Sakura has a plan. Now please shut up and let her talk." At this, Sakura pulled the two closer as she revealed her idea to her two closest friends and teammates.

A few minutes later, both boys were staring at her with wide eyes. They were shocked that she could even consider such a plan, let alone actually expecting them to go through with it. They were even more shocked at the realization that, if they pulled it off, it would actually save the village. The two looked at one another.

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, it's the only thing we've got, so we may as well try it." Sakura looked at him warily, then they both turned to Naruto. He stood there blinking, mulling the idea over.

"Come on, you idiot. We don't have all day!." Sakura crossed her arms, vein in her temple ready to burst. Naruto's fists suddenly clenched at his sides.

"I say we do it, and beat those guys to a bloody pulp in the process." He all but shouted while grinding a fist into a palm. Sighing in response, Sakura grabbed his wrist and pulled him behind her as they resumed her flight toward the village's gates.

As it turned out, the two had been sent by the Godaime to check on the other shinobi stationed throughout the village. They were on their way back to report what parts of the town had been abandoned when they were accosted by a small band of rogue Sand-nin. That was when Sakura had come across the boys.

From their descriptions of the fight so far, Sakura found out that the main general of the advancing army had not even come into the village before the boys were sent on their errand. Tsunade had taken up residence on the roof of a building which looked out over the gates toward the enemy's nearby encampment. Well, not really an encampment, just the location where the general and his lieutenants stood to watch the carnage. The Hokage had continually sent screeching rants of expletives and very suggestive hand signs in the leaders' direction. She was goading the main baddie in an attempt to draw him into the open for a fight. As far as they knew, she had not succeeded.

Well, if Tsunade were able to achieve her goals, that would make things much easier for Sakura and her teammates. So, hopefully, the enemy were lowering their standards and were willing to engage in an all-out verbal foray, that would involve a whole lot of shit-talking.

The three came to a halt at the edge of the open area just inside of the gates. They could see Tsunade gesticulating wildly as she hollered her threats to the man who led their enemies. Shizune had, by this point, given up on admonishing the elder woman for not acting like the Hokage should, and merely stood at the ready for a fight. Below them, several of Konoha's top jounin were battling with many of the stronger enemy shinobi, and it seemed that there were already many casualties for either side. Sakura's heart nearly stopped when she looked at some of the dead ninja whose bodies littered the ground. She knew so many of them.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the village gates explode. So, the general had decided that it was time to grace the battlefield with his presence. Sakura's fists tightened to near bleeding.

"This ends now," she muttered as she lunged to intersect the man and his highest ranking subordinates. Naruto and Sasuke were right behind her, flanking on either side. Vaguely she heard Tsunade's cry of 'Sakura, no' before her attention focused on the man who had caused all of this.

The Tsuchikage was a fearsome looking man; broad-shouldered, tall, with waist-length white hair. Sakura nearly skidded to a halt when the shinobi accompanying him parted before her and gave her a first glimpse of the man. He merely looked at her disdainfully before a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.

"And who are you, little girl?" His surprisingly musical voice sang across the hundred or so yards that separated them.

"Keh. I am Inuzuka Sakura, kunoichi of Konoha, and I'm a member of the shinobi team that's going to kick your ass." She said calmly while examining the nails on her left hand. She stood in a completely relaxed state as if she had not a care in the world.

Naruto eyeballed her from behind. What had gotten into her? Sasuke glanced at the blond for a second before refocusing on the other enemy shinobi who had begun to inch their way to either side as if trying to surround the three.

"Oh really, this isn't play time, _little girl_, so why don't you step aside and let the real ninja handle this." He was not requesting.

Naruto flinched dramatically and Sasuke tensed visibly. Of all the things the man could have done, he had to go and say that Sakura wasn't a real ninja. He was definitely going to die. The demonic anger that crossed the pink-haired woman's features confirmed their thoughts.

"Well, let's just see about that. Fight us right now you fucking bastard. We'll see who's a real ninja. And when I'm through with you, you'll be limping your sorry fucking ass back to your Land of Pebbles, or whatever the hell you call it, with the imprint of my boot all over your cock-loving backside!" She was beyond livid at this point, and Naruto's mouth dropped more and more with every word. Sasuke had even stopped watching the other enemy who had edged closer in order to eye her with a shocked look. They had never heard Sakura talk like this before. Naruto was so jealous that she had taken the lead on this, since he was usually the one who jumped in with all of the mouthing off. But he didn't think that even he could have matched her rant, not by a long shot.

When the woman had finished, the man who had been on the receiving end merely laughed gleefully. He glanced to his left, then to his right in silent signal.

"Just like you Leaf Ninja to send children to do an adult's work." Then his lieutenants struck.

There were four in all, and they were all going to teach Naruto, Sasuke, and that little pink-haired bitch a little lesson in how to treat the most powerful shinobi of the Rock Village. However, not one actually got close to their targets.

A petite purple-haired kunoichi, who would have reminded most of Hinata had it not been for the giant stone axe that she wielded, was cut off by Shizune. A giant brute of a man with no hair and eyes as yellow as his teeth was cut off by Tsunade. Another kunoichi who looked more man than woman was pulled into battle with both Kakashi and Hana. The last, a wirey-looking little man who moved like a cat, was cut off by a long growl. Sakura had only a second to look over her shoulder to see Kiba and Akamaru lunge at the man in full attempt to rip out his throat.

Tsunade yelled to them, "Get her out of here, you idiots."

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at one another before looking to their female counterpart. The firm set of her jaw and the stern look in her eyes brooked no argument. They were going through with this no matter what. She spoke in a low tone to the two as she pulled her chakra gloves from her hip-pouch.

"Sasuke, get on my right side and place your hand on my shoulder. Make sure our skin is in contact. I'll need your Sharingan for this." He nodded barely as he moved in closer. Slowly she felt his cold hand slide across her arm before resting on her shoulder.

"Naruto, do the same on my left. Let Kyuubi out, as slowly as possible. I'll need his chakra."

"But...I can't control the fox at all. He'll destroy everything." The boy protested.

"It's okay. That's what Kanna is for. She'll be your anchor. She can help me control my abilities so that I only take what I need." She smiled lightly at the blond boy. He looked scared to death for the first time in his life, but, after just a second of contemplation, she felt his warm, clammy hand come to rest on her left shoulder. Soon enough Kanna was in place.

"Now, release your chakra." The girl spoke to all three, hoping that they would be able to follow along with her movements.

"So, are you three finished with your little huddle, or are you just going to wait to see if you friends come to bail you out."

Sakura snarled and bared her teeth at the man.

"This is your last chance. Leave the village or die."

As the last word left her mouth, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere that caught all in the area off guard. Kiba chanced a glance in his wife's direction and nearly stopped fighting at what he saw.

Sasuke standing with Sharingan activated looked blankly into the distance as if searching for something internally. His chakra had become visible around his body in what resembled a giant Chidori. The blue lightning buzzed around his body, up his arm, and into Sakura's right shoulder.

Naruto was much the same on Sakura's left, only his chakra looked like red-hot flames. Sometimes, in the flickers of the fire, one could almost see the outline of a fox's head. The boy's chakra went into Sakura's left shoulder. His left had curled into the fur at Kanna's nape as though he depended on her to keep him grounded.

In the center of this display was a sight that was nearly as disturbing as it was beautiful. The pink-haired woman,who had been deemed Konoha's second best medic, was glowing an intense green from the light of her own aura. The combination of her own energy mixed with those of her teammates had caused the air around her to begin swirling, and the slight breeze caused her hair to billow around her. That coupled with the near hysterical glint in her eye was quite an eery sight...but beautiful at the same time.

The Tsuchikage was not shaken by the cahnge in the three who stood before him.

"Well, kids, if you want a fight..." He punctuated his sentence with an attempt to throw several kunai at them. These merely bounced of of their combined circling auras.

Naruto scoffed, and Sasuke even seemed a little disgruntled. It was one thing for him not to take Sakura seriously, most enemy that they encountered rarely did, but to outright disrespect _them _was completely different. However, before either could move, Sakura's low voice broke in.

"Sasuke, do you have your Sharingan locked onto enemy chakra signals?" He nodded. It was nothing to focus on an enemy while fighting him, but they had come to realize that, if he concentrated hard enough, he could differentiate between malicious intent and non-threat. This was what Sakura was requiring of him at the moment. He was currently seeing the chakra signals of all of the enemy shinobi within a ten mile radius. And, there were way more that they had realized.

Sakura nodded back.

"Naruto, without breaking contact with my skin, I need you to move to my other side. I need my left hand for what I'm going to try." He nodded curtly and slowly shifted his right hand from her shoulder to rest lightly on the nape of her neck. After shifting his body more to the appropriate side, he slid his hand to rest next to Sasuke's on the girl's right shoulder.

"Now, watch." She addressed the bad-guy who had closed the gap between them slightly. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Spoken while performing a hand sign. She collected a massive amount of chakra into her left fist and shouted...

"LEAF STYLE: EARTH SHATTER JUTSU".

Kiba and Hana both heard this and disengaged their enemies immediately.

"Kakashi, get off the ground, now!" She flew to where the Hokage was and snagged the woman by her collar as she bounded to the top of a building. Kiba had just enough time to pull Shizune to another building before the attack was released.

Both Inuzukas knew Sakura's new technique. She had been working on it for months, and they knew what the outcome would be. No one within the attack's radius would survive.

As she uttered the last word, Sakura sent her fist hurtling toward the earth with what should have been force enough to destroy the world, but...at the last moment, she released the fist and rested her palm on the ground. Instead of splitting the ground and sending out a massive shock-wave of exploded earth, her hand merely lay palm-down on the ground.

The leader of the Rock shinobi was about to laugh at the girl's pathetic display when he saw the look in her eyes. Fiery jade bled from the magenta of the Sharingan to blazing red to a murky evergreen color.

All sound ceased when a pulse of chakra emanated from the hand that had touched the ground. It rippled from Sakura's body in a shining green wave that was trailed by electric blue and orangish-red. This pulse hit every person within the village.

It killed every person considered an enemy by Sasuke's Sharingan.

Naruto's vast reserve fueled the shock-wave as it trickled outside of the village walls and into the reserved forces that the enemy had stashed in the forest.

Finally, after a few minutes of strenuous chakra displacement, neither Naruto nor Sasuke could hold on any longer. They both let go of the girl simultaneously and looked at the carnage that they had just caused.

No sound was heard. There were no cheers as all living Leaf Ninja took in ther surroundings in shocked silence.

Sakura suddenly faltered and crumpled as she went into a dead faint. Neither of her teammates had the reaction time necessary to keep her from falling to the ground. But, two strong and capable hands caught the unconscious woman and pulled her to the most unlikely body.

The person who had caught her had been the one person that they had been able to count on when they needed someone, and now he was there for his favorite kunoichi. Kakashi whispered to the passed-out girl how proud her was of her and that she had saved the village and that it was time to rest.

When a very anxious Kiba bounded up to them, Kakashi relented his hold on the young woman.

"She'll be alright. She's just fainted." He gave them all his patented eye-crease, which caused his comrades to sigh in relief. "But, I do think you should probably get her to the hospital, just in case."

"Just in case, my ass," came the voice of an infuriated Hokage." Go, now. I'll be right behind you."

Without another word, all present forgot about the multitude of bodies that littered their village's streets. All thoughts were occupied with the survival of a certain pink-haired medic who had won all of their hearts.


	15. Endearments

**A/N: So this chapter was really hard to write. Jut wait til you finish, and you'll see why. Alas, all that's left is the epilogue. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this next to last chapter. Thanks, again, for reading and reviewing.**

**As much as I love the guy, I just don't own him. Naruto, that is.**

Becoming Inuzuka

Endearments

Tsunade looked around her office at the several men who had gathered there. The war was fought, the battle won, well for the most part anyway. Sakura was still out cold, but her baby was fine, so she knew the girl would pull through. It was just a matter of waiting until she awoke. The Hokage forced thoughts of her ex-apprentice from her mind; she had important things to discuss with these men.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," she half-bowed to the room. This was met by quiet murmurs. "I know you all have your own obligations in dealing with your clans when it comes to cleaning up this mess, but the village needs your help." Her eyes roamed the room once again.

She eyed the weary, battle-worn forms of Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, and Inuzuka Kiba. Hyuga Hiashi and his heir, Hinabi had come, as well. Akamichi Chouji was there, even though his wife had given birth the previous morning. Uchiha Sasuke had even shown, and of course so had Uzumaki Naruto. All of the heads of Konoha's prominent clans were sitting before her, and she was begging for their help.

"Not only do we need assistance in rebuilding the damage caused, but we also need help with..." She trailed off not really knowing how to phrase her request. Shikamaru spoke for her.

"You need help in disposing of the bodies." No question was in his voice. The others looked from the Nara to the Hokage. Hiashi nodded in compliance.

"Of course, the attack caused so much devastation. Those damages alone would have been difficult to deal with. But we also have hundreds of dead shinobi that were left as a result of Sakura-san's technique."

Naruto and Sasuke tensed. No way was he pinning all of this on their teammate, Naruto's father-in-law or not. They saw Kiba flinch as he prepared to defend his wife's actions, and Akamaru let out a warning growl.

"Sakura-san cannot be blamed for the number of casualties in this. If Konoha were to have survived, we would have needed to kill most of them anyway. She just enabled us to take action without drawing things out." Hyuga Hinabi spoke. Her pale eyes wandered from the faces of all in the room to land on the shocked expression of her father. "I wish to clean our village up as soon as possible, and we cannot do so sitting in here blaming the amount of bodies on the woman who is responsible for saving us all."

Hiashi looked at his daughter sternly as all present waited for his reaction. They expected him to be outraged at the girl's blatant dissent from his opinion, but they were thoroughly surprised. Hiashi's eyes closed lightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose between a thumb and forefinger.

"I suppose we do owe Sakura-san recognition for saving the village." His eyes opened to several jaws that had hit the floor. Even Shikamaru was visibly surprised by the man's words. Hiashi refocused his eyes and, once again, addressed Tsunade.

"So, Hokage-sama, how may we assist you?"

While this meeting of the minds was going on, there was a commotion in one of the few private rooms of the hospital. Sakura, who had been lying unconscious for the past day, sat up in her bed wide awake.

The person who was keeping watch over her put down his book to attend to her.

"Sakura, welcome back," Kakashi spoke smoothly. "How do you feel?"

The girl could tell from his tone that he was worried, which was all wrong. Kakashi never got worried. She rubbed her eyes and blinked hard trying to focus on...something. Her head ached, and her throat felt like sand paper. After smacking dry cracked lips a few time and swallowing what felt like glass shards, she spoke.

"Water..." She rasped. It felt like she hadn't drank anything in weeks.

The Great Copy-nin nodded solemnly and stood to pour a glass of water from the pitcher that stood on the table next to her bed. He moved stiffly as if he had not moved much in a very long time.

After gulping down most of the glass, Sakura forced herself to stop drinking. Being a top level medic, though she was barely able to form a coherent thought at that particular moment, the woman knew that she needed to be careful when reintroducing water into a nearly dehydrated body. She handed the glass back to her team-captain and waited as he refilled it. This time, the girl took longer, more thorough drinks, as if savouring the refreshment.

Once the glass was empty and resting neatly on the table next to the half-empty pitcher, Sakura sighed aloud.

"So, who was driving the truck?"

Kakashi looked at her hard. He seemed startled by her question and raised the only visible brow he had at her with a cautious 'hmmm?"

"You know, the truck that kicked my ass. Who was driving it?" She sat looking at the man who had once been her lover seriously for a long minute before cracking as smile at his confusion. She winced as she felt her dry lips crack and begin bleeding in a few spots.

Finally, it dawned on him that she was just messing with him and had not suffered any sort of brain damage. From there on, it was all around eye crinkle as he rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. Whew, that was scary. Then Sakura became serious.

"I need to see the Hokage right away." Kakashi was back to being confused. Surely she would have wanted to see Kiba or even Sasuke and Naruto before having to deal with the fury that Tsunade would throw in her direction.

"My baby..." Sakura looked at her mid-section as she hugged herself, "I need to know if I hurt..."

"Your baby's fine, as are you," interrupted the older shinobi. "Tsunade-sama said that there was no damage whatsoever to the baby, but she worried about any long-term damage to your own body. I'm to summon her as soon as you wake up."

"Ummm...I'm awake..." Sakura looked at the man slightly puzzled.

"I can see that, but are you really in such a hurry to get your head bitten off?" He stood and moved toward the door. "If so, I can go get her now." He was just teasing her, but she took him seriously much in the way that Sakura always took everything he said at face-value. And he didn't like the way she paled so thoroughly at the thought of facing an angry Godaime.

"Sakura...Are you okay?" That worried voice again.

"Do I really look that bad? How long was I out?" The girl put her hands up to her cheeks as if she could tell how pallid she was by touch.

"Well," he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "you were only our for about a day, which is a record for you, but..."

She tensed at the unfinished thought. "But...what?"

"Okay, we still don't really know to what extent you put your body to, but we do know that you completely exhausted yourself. Hence the fainting." The woman rolled dull sea-foam eyes at this. "So, of course, you look like the dead...it's just that... Well, maybe you should just see for yourself."

Her eyes widened. Did she really look that bad? I mean she had just woken up from being rendered unconscious for a day thanks to utilizing too much of her own chakra as well as that of others. Okay, so she probably really did look like the dead. May as well have a look.

She moved to stand awkwardly, and Kakashi was there in a flash to help her maneuver her body off of the platform that acted as her bed. He practically carried her stiff body toward the bathroom. The fact that the girl had a private room suddenly popped into her mind.

"Hey, why do I have my own room? I mean there were surely lots of wounded shinobi after that battle. I think this room could be better utilized." He paused looking at her briefly before continuing.

"Well...there were some...uh...issues that arose after you were admitted. Tsunade-sama felt that it was prudent to give you your own space for recovery."

"But...I'm a medic, and I know that sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice one patient's comfort in order to treat many."

"Let's just say that it had nothing to do with comfort."

"Wha...?" Her question cut off as they entered the small bathroom. Well, little box with a sink, mirror, and toilet that acted as a bathroom. Yup, she looked awful.

Her face was milky white, and it wasn't an illusion from the overhead lights. Her eyes were sunken back, and instead of shining emerald, they were a dull puke green. Her hair had lost all luster, and it looked as if it had some sort of debris still in it. Sakura moved to pull the object from her hair, only to find that it _was _her hair.

At least part of it anyways. She glanced at the man who stood behind her supporting her weight with hands planted on her back as she fingered the lock. A piece of the hair that made up her bangs, a little more than an inch in thickness was all it was. But this piece was such a difference from her bright pink hue, and she knew that it would not take long for people to notice. Surely her family, friends, and whatever medics had seen to her recuperation had already seen it.

This particular strand of hair had turned an undeniable black. Black as in _Uchiha_ black, with little blue highlights and all.

"Ahh...The Hokage seems to think that that is a result of leeching Sasuke's chakra."

"Oh, I know it is." She let the piece of hair drop and turned to head back to her bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "What did I take from Naruto?"

"Well," he thought for a moment as he helped her back to the bed. "Nothing that can be seen... Tsunade and Kiba examined your body thoroughly, so nothing hidden." Sakura rolled her eyes at this. Tsunade must have loved seeing the sensitive Inuzuka clan stripe that adorned the young woman's navel. Kakashi went on, "She seems to think that it may be something technique-wise. Perhaps a deeper chakra reserve or something. We won't know until you're strong enough to experiment."

He helped her back into bed and handed her a fresh glass of water. The girl sat sipping thoughtfully as the man returned to his chair and prepared to resume his reading.

"Hey, Kakashi?" At his 'hmm..', she continued, "why are you being so nice to me? At first, I thought it was because we were back on the same team, but..." She shrugged lightly. "I didn't expect you to watch over me in a hospital, let alone play nursemaid."

He looked up at her as if weighing something internally. After a moment, he stood and placed his prized Icha Icha book in his hip-pouch. Finally, he answered while digging his hands into his pockets.

"I think I just finally figured you out, that's all." At her quirked eyebrow, he continued. However, not without a heavy sigh as if this were all too much for him. "I've always seen you as three different people: the little girl who I taught, the woman who was self-conscious and meek, and the kunoichi who could kill with one punch. Now, I finally see _you_, the person who is actually a combination of all three." He stopped, rubbing the back of his neck which he did when he was uncomfortable, hoping this was explanation enough.

"Oh," was all she could say. That actually explained a lot. He had had trouble differentiating between her three personalities, instead of getting to know the person who had been born as a result of their combination. Well, at least he was making amends. She couldn't help to wonder, though, if this were how everyone else saw her, too. She looked up when he cleared his throat.

"I think it helped, too, that Kiba never saw each part of you as a separate entity. He took all of your personas as an extension of who you are. I think that when you changed after getting to know him, others were able to start seeing you in the same light." Sakura nodded slowly. She had to admit that it did make some sense.

"Anyways, I'm supposed to stay here until someone else comes to relieve me, but I'm also supposed to let the Hokage know as soon as you wake. Since you've been awake for about a half an hour, I think it's time for me to head to Tsunade's office." With that he made to open the door and went to leave.

"Hey, Kakashi?" He stopped for a second and looked over his shoulder. "Thanks." She was rewarded with an eye-crinkle and a slight wave of the hand as he swept from the room, closing the door behind him.

Now alone in her room, Sakura settled in to wait to see who was next on watch duty.

A few minutes later, Tsunade's office door burst open as three very anxious shinobi fought to get out of the room in order to pay a visit to their long-lost loved one.

Tsunade, a little-too-calmly, dismissed the others so that she, too, could make her way to the hospital. However, she stopped Kakashi as the last of the clan leaders left the room.

"Hatake, I have something I want to discuss with you, and now's as good a time as any." She crooked a finger at the man, who sighed heavily, as was his custom, before shutting the door behind him. Shizune looked at the door worriedly, wondering what the man's answer would be.

* * *

"Oh, my God, they are so sweet!" gushed an excited Sakura, as she welcomed her new nursemaids.

When Ino had entered the room carrying a little bundle of happiness, the pink-haired woman was all smiles for her friend. She, however, had not expected Chouji to follow his wife into the room carrying his own little package.

"Did you know you were having twins? Why didn't you tell me?" Sakura's eyes filled with tears as she took the baby girl that Ino had carried in. This child, dubbed, Inoicha, had her mother's cerulean eyes with her father's coppery hair. The young woman then leaned in to kiss the blond Choula on the top of the head. Brown eyes, matching Chouji's fluttered briefly before closing tightly as the infant slept.

"Well, if you had been there to deliver them, you would have known." Ino crossed her now-free arms huffing lightly. Sakura began to splutter an apology, but she was cut off by her best friend's small grin. "I know why you left, Forehead, and I'm glad that you did. For the sake of the village." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief at this. She could always count on Ino to feel the same way she did. They were Leaf Kunoichi first, before anything else.

"I must say though, that you have lost the chance at being a god-mother. Moegi-san took that honor." The bed-ridden medic nodded in acceptance.

"Who's the god-father?"

"You're actually related to him. This wonderful little chuunin named Inuzuka Yuki held my hand through the whole delivery." The other woman scoffed lightly at this, and Ino grinned widely. "I hope his hand is healing okay."

The three friends were quietly admiring the newest members of the Akamichi clan, when the hospital room door burst open, and three excited, albeit disheveled, ninja fell into a heap on the floor.

As first one, then the other twin woke and began screaming, Ino and Chouji took their leave. Sakura was sad to see them go, considering what she was about to have to deal with.

Naruto ran up to her excitedly, with Sasuke following slowly behind. Kiba held back, allowing his wife a chance to reunite with her team. He knew, from his own experience, that teammates held a certain closeness, but that Team Kakashi held a unique bond. Especially now. They had been part of an ordeal that no one could ever come close to experiencing, and they had shared chakra on an extreme level. These three would be connected, in some way, from now on.

"Hey guys," Sakura said calmly, looking from one to the other, as if guaging their reactions. She was not surprised when Naruto gripped her in a tight, but thankfully not bone-crushing, hug. She _was _shocked when she felt Sasuke throw his arms around both of them.

"We were so worried about you," the Uchiha stated softly. All present in the room blinked as if not sure of what they had just heard. At this slightly uncomfortable moment, Sasuke pulled back looking as if he feared their reaction to his endearment toward his female friend. All response was cut short when Tsunade entered the room.

Huffing as if out of breath and looking a bit frazzled, the Hokage crossed her arms and asked, "You two aren't getting her all riled up are you? She needs to rest."

The two boys released their teammate and moved to the side so that the elder woman could inspect the girl.

"Come on, Dobe, let's wait out in the hall for them." This barely registered to Sakura as odd. Fleetingly she wondered why they were going to wait, but shrugged it off as that they would walk she and Kiba home.

After a few minutes of close scrutiny, Tsunade declared the young woman fit to return home with her husband. She helped Kiba dress the girl, all the while sternly reminding him that the young woman would need a few days rest before _any _vigorous activity. Sakura wondered of her husband's pink-tinted cheeks were due to embarrassment at the Hokage's words or annoyance at the woman's constant cock-blocking.

Once Sakura was dressed and ready to go, Tsunade opened the door as Kiba moved to wheel the girl into the hall via a borrowed wheelchair.

"Wait, Shishou...Aren't we going to talk about what happened?" Tsunade just shook her head.

"There's plenty of time for that. Right now, you have something else to worry about." Sakura's brow furrowed at the cryptic nature of the woman's reply. She was just about to question her ex-mistress when they entered the hall and she saw that not only were Naruto and Sasuke awaiting them, so too was Kakashi.

The girl tossed a questioning look toward her husband, who had been unusually reserved this whole time.

"Just wait, Pink, we have something to show you." The small group headed down the hall and toward the main doors of the hospital. As the group made its way, several patients and medics alike moved out of their way. Sakura couldn't help but think that all of these people were eyeing her.

When they pushed their wait out of the doors, Sakura was shocked to see what awaited them. It seemed that the whole village, civilian and shinobi alike, had turned out, but why?

That's when she heard the whispers that began to move through the crowd.

"Is that her?"

"Look, they saved us all."

"Kakashi's with them, too."

Sakura looked to all of her companions, fully confused.

"It's like I told you before, kiddo. You three were meant to do great things, and now you have. These people are here to see you and your teammates. They feel that they owe you their lives." Tsunade rested a hand on the girl's shoulder as Kiba leaned in closely.

"They're here to see you, Pink. Come on, say hi." He placed his hands under her arms and hoisted her up. Naruto and Sasuke each grabbed an arm and helped her to walk to the edge of the hospital sidewalk.

And, there, as the original Team 7 stood, side by side, looking over a crowd of adoring faces, a chant began to pour forth. A chant that, mingled with other shouts of 'thank you' and 'we love you', tore at all of their hearts.

"NEW SANNIN!" "NEW SANNIN!" "NEW SANNIN!"


	16. Epilogue: Simply Sakura

**A/N: Alas, this is the end of my Kiba/Saku series. I like this epilogue, and I hope you enjoy as well. Thanks for all of your support and love.**

**I don't own any of these characters.**

Becoming Inuzuka

Epilogue: Simply Sakura

Sakura sighed resignedly as she suddenly found herself wide awake. She really didn't want to be, and her body screamed that it needed more rest, but she just couldn't help herself. The petite woman leaned further into the body that lay behind her.

It was surprising that the medics had even allowed him to share her bed, but, then again, when one is faced with a crazed dog, one will tend to forget protocol. Thus, the woman had found herself propped against her husband's chest and body when she awoke. He had climbed into the bed and situated her to were she lay against him in a half-reclined/half-sitting position. And she adored him all the more for it.

A small noise to the right of the bed told her that the room's other occupant had awakened and was probably hungry. She moved to get up when she heard a low rumble in the body behind her, signifying that Kiba was also awake.

"I'll get him. You just stay there." The man of her dreams shifted her body just enough so that he could leave the bed, and she almost panicked at the loss of the feel of him and his heat. This panic lifted abruptly when father handed son to mother. "I think he's hungry." He crooned softly, and the woman nodded as she adjusted the infant in her arms. She set to the task of feeding the child.

Kiba stood with a bewildered look on his face. Sakura's cheeks pinked as she didn't know if his stares were a result of her partial nudity or of the fact that she was feeding their _son._ She reckoned it was the latter, but couldn't help teasing the man.

"Why, Kitten, I do believe that you are drooling." He looked up at her and blushed lightly at her accusation.

"I can't help it. You're just so beautiful."

"Yeah right. I've been in here for days, and I'm all gross and worn out," she scoffed. "I would have thought that the change in my scent would have changed things." It was true. She was no longer pregnant, which meant that her scent would return to normal. Hopefully, she would have a slight reprieve from her husband's constant ravenous advances. Now don't get her wrong, she loved the constant attention from the incredibly sexy dog-nin, but it had become rather exhausting. And it had seemed that the further she had gotten in her pregnancy, the more needy he had become.

"Well," he said with a teasing glint in his eye, "that is true. I guess it means that I'll just have to knock you up again as soon as possible." She shot him a glare that said that he would be in the dog house for a while if he continued. Realizing that telling a woman, who had just spent several months feeling fat and ugly, that he wanted her to return that way soon was pretty insensitive, he leaned over he and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Pink." He sat on the edge of the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Pretty soon, the woman's body relaxed and she leaned her head on his shoulder. She really was too worn out to be mad for long.

The two sat quietly for a moment listening to their son as he fed from his mother's bosom. Kiba reached in and rubbed the child's left cheek stripe lightly with a claw.

"He's so beautiful..." the man murmured as a small bright green eye peeked open before quickly closing again. Sakura sighed in agreement.

"You know people are going to ask questions, though." She turned her face toward the Inuzuka male and saw the expression of pure adoration on his face. She had to steel herself before continuing. "I mean, except for the cheek stripes, he really doesn't look like you. If only he had brown hair, instead of..." She trailed off when Kiba stood, running his hand through his own chocolate brown tresses.

"He's an Inuzuka, Sakura. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have the marks..." He raised a hand at her attempt at interruption. "I know that you think he could have gotten them from you, but you're wrong. He wouldn't have them if I wasn't his father." He came back to kneel by the bed. "And I know that there wasn't anyone else, certainly not the person who will be blamed."

The woman couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "You know, we should probably tell him...so that he can be ready for the accusations." Kiba joined in her slight mirth.

"I think he'll figure it out soon as he meets him." The two were silent for a moment as Sakura adjusted her hospital gown and moved to just hold her son.

"Tsunade said that I'll probably be able to go home today." She spoke, breaking the odd feeling in the room. Kiba nodded and sighed, muttering something about 'it's about damned time'. He soon rejoined his family on the bed as conversation shifted to lighter subjects.

Not too long later, Sakura was holding little Inuzka Kasei in her arms as Kiba wheeled them toward the doors that led out into the world. She had a flash of what had happened the last time they had made this trip. The chant of _New Sannin_ over and over filled her mind.

It had been odd to go from being Sakura-san to being Sakura-sama as everyone in the village looked at her with new-found awe and respect. Naruto had taken his popularity in stride and boasted about how much cooler this was than becoming Hokage. Although, he still maintained that that was a goal of his. It just wasn't all that important right now. All present had rolled their eyes, knowing that the enigmatic blond would be shouting about becoming Hokage again in no time. Sasuke had taken things in his usual attempt-at-nonchalance, but he seemed a little less reserved now that his life was scrutinized even more. Of course, having Sai at his side had surely helped. God knows that if Kiba hadn't been there, the female 'new sannin' would have probably cracked.

What bothered her the most was the fact that the Inuzuka clan council still acted as though she were unworthy of being married to Kiba. Well, maybe not the entire clan. Well, specifically that damned Kumo and his stupid daughter. Both had made a scene at the clan's recognition of Sakura's new-found status as a shinobi as well as her pregnancy with the new heir. The family had been caught off guard by the woman's blatant display of her clan markings, but she had explained the circumstances of their acquisition.

Many had been angered that a non-Inuzuka had developed the triangular shaped cheek stripes, but they had been few in number compared to those whose were surprisingly supportive. Of course being a 'new sannin' had aided her in this situation.

The girl was pulled from her thoughts as Tsume spoke.

"Why so pensive, Sakura-chan?" The woman was ecstatic about her grandson, and she showed this in her endearment toward her daughter-in-law.

"I was just thinking that I'm going to have to retire from being a shinobi. I can't take care of Kasei and still do missions as well." Tsume exchanged a meaningful glance with her son.

"Ummm...mother and Kuromaru have offered to retire from being shinobi in order to care for the baby." Sakura's stunned silence extended until they were out the door and walking slowly along the path that led to the street.

"But... I can't ask that of you."

"We have both decided that it's time to step aside and allow the new generation of shinobi to have their time." Kuromaro's deep voice was heard from beside her. She reached over and patted the large dog fondly. He had been the only one of their companions to accompany them today. Kanna and Akamaru were at home tending to their own litter of six who had been born only a week previously.

The four continued on in silence as they approached the fence that signified the end of the grounds. Tsume looked to a large oak tree that stood at the edge of the street.

"Besides, my son is the Alpha of my clan and is married to one of the New Sannin. And my daughter..." Sakura followed the woman's gaze and saw what she was watching. "My daughter is in a very serious relationship with the man who will be the next Hokage."

Sure enough, leaned against the tree were Hana and Kakashi. Hana held a very content-looking Pakkun in her arms as she scratched the head of one of her own companions who rested in her lap. Kakashi also scratched idly at one of Hana's other two companions who had both taken over his lap. The man leaned toward the brunette woman and whispered in her ear. Her face promptly turned the color of her own cheek stripes, but she nodded slightly in agreement.

Sakura just knew that he was suggesting they try something new from his book, and it struck her that this pervert was going to be the next leader of their village. Tsunade had all-but made it official that she had asked him to take over when she retired later in the year. He, apparently, had agreed. Boy were they in trouble if that lazy pervert was going to be their leader.

Movement further down the way stole the young mother's attention. It was then that she saw the small crowd that had gathered outside the hospital gates. And, she knew them all.

She saw Temari standing with Kankorou laughing as they looked down at the sleeping bodies of Shikamaru and his daughter. The shadow-wielder had obviously been trying to teach her the finer points of cloud watching when the two had fallen to sleep.

Sakura vaguely remembered that Lady Hotaru had recently given birth to Gaara's own son, and she knew that this was why the red-head had not come.

Ino and Chouji stood to the side near Hinata and Naruto. Chouji held one of his daughters, who had also fallen asleep, while Ino handed her ward to a glowing Hinata. The blond took a moment to place her hand on the pale-eyed woman's slightly protruding belly and laughed at the kick her hand received. Shino stood close-by, silently watching his teammate and her interaction with the others.

Against the fence was leaned an intense-looking Sasuke. Sai stood close to his lover, trying to engage Shino in a conversation. Sakura smiled to herself as she noticed a possessive hand come to rest on Sasuke's shoulder when a group of three genin girls lingered a little longer than necessary. Neither male acknowledged this, nor did the hand move from its place.

She was shocked to even see Neji, Ten-Ten, and Lee standing near the others. Ten-Ten was engaged in a heated discussion with Lee, who had finally asked her to be his. Neji just watched stoically from the side-lines.

"Sakura-chan, you're out!" shouted that undeniable voice. He bounded toward the Inuzuka family with all of his usual vigor. Upon seeing the bundle in the woman's arms, he stopped short.

"Sakura-chan, why does Kasei-kun have blond hair? Shouldn't it be pink or brown?" Well it was as good a time as any to explain it to him. At least all of their friends were there, this way she wouldn't have to repeat the story a million times.

"Well, Naruto, it's from when I absorbed your chakra."

"But I thought..." Sakura held up her hand.

"We don't think he inherited anything due to the fact that I utilized your chakra. We think it's because he was_ inside _of me when it happened. And the reason why his hair turned blond instead of black is because I used more of your chakra than Sasuke's."

"Oh...can I hold him?" Naruto shrugged off her explanation as if it didn't really matter. Which, in all actuality, it didn't. She reached up and handed her two-day-old son to Konoha's number one hyperactive knuckle-headed ninja, who turned to show him off to all of their friends.

Sakura saw in their eyes, not judgment, but love and acceptance.

Kiba squeezed her shoulder lightly. She returned the action to his and and smiled.

This was what she had always wanted. These people saw her as what she was: Kunoichi, New Sannin, Medic. But, now they saw her as more: Woman, Clan-leader, Friend, Mother. Sakura slowly realized that they saw her for what she was, what she had always been.

Simply...Sakura...

_fin_

**Let the tears fall, you know you want to. Anyways, thanks again for reading this and supporting my attempt to fend off boredom.**

**Also, thanks to _earthbender068_ for your constant mind-reading and assistance. She is responsible for the name Kasei which means 'transform'. And, we both felt that this was a good representation of how Sakura went through many transformations in this series in an attempt to find herself. Go figure that her 'true self' had been there all along. **

**So, with that, I'm out. Please be on the look-out for more of my work in the near future. Damned plot bunnies, and their armed assaults.**


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